An Unsung Legend
by LordAzian
Summary: Thanks to the Sirens, what was supposed to be an exciting, memorable day ended up turning into the worst imaginable one for our hero. Now with his memories gone and him unable to even remember his own name, he only has one goal in mind: Defeat the Sirens. Luckily for him, he has the help of some very special girls more than willing to help him on his quest. Rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1

**An Unsung Legend **

" " = Speaking

' ' = Thought

**I own nothing! This is a complete work of fanfiction.**

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"There are 3 C's in the process of change. You have to be willing to make the _choice _to take the _chance_ to make a _change_." – _A Silent Voice_ film

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"Congratulations to our new World Maritime Naval Academy graduates! May you all continue to strive to protect the seas and make the world a safe, happy place for all!"

A young man stood as happy as can be, excited to continue his journey to become a naval officer and serve as a symbol of peace so that everyone can be at ease. His jet-black hair was cut short and practically unnoticeable under his new white naval cap that had the symbol of a golden anchor with a black background affixed to the rim. His clothes were standard naval officer uniform, strictly white with medals and tassels around the torso. He normally would've been hard to spot in the crowd of similar looking graduates, that is, if it wasn't for his eyes. His irises were like sparkling amethyst crystals that looked like they would glow in the night. Besides his mesmerizing eyes, he was like every other graduate, fit-looking and ready to serve.

As he stood smiling, he couldn't help but wish that the headmaster of the academy would hurry up and finish his speech so the after-party celebrations could begin. However, as soon as he closed his eyes and took in a large breath of air to begin his new start, he opened his eyes to see that the once joyous scenery he found himself in was replaced with something resembling hell. The sky was cracked and there were some sort of machines coming out of it, shooting out lasers and storms of artillery fire all around him. The academy, the sea, and worst of all, the people, were all up in flames. Screams of terror, pain, and agony echoed throughout and the air was suffocating as the stench of smoke and gas permeated throughout the academy grounds. The young naval officer saw nothing but tragedy and didn't realize until he looked down that he was covered in smoke, cuts, burns, and blood. The young man couldn't help but fall to his knees and stare, first at his blood covered hands and then at the hell in front of him. Nothing seemed to have been real and he couldn't help it as tears slowly trickled down at the tragedy before him. Not even a second later did he hear a sultry, powerful voice speak up.

"Hahahahaha! You humans are pathetically weak, one barrage from my minions' cannons was all it took to bring you filth to your knees!"

"Master Arbiter, the ambush was an unsurprising success. All forms of life in the nearest 10-mile radius have been depleted to less than 1%, in the span of less than 5 minutes should I add."

"Hmph, Observer…was I unclear when I said I wanted ALL life gone when I briefed you all on this ambush?"

"My sincerest apologies, Master Arbiter, The Empress III. I will personally carry out the cleanup."

"Good now hurry up and…Oh?" The pale alien-like woman looked down and noticed the young man on his knees unable to move as he looked up at her. At first she thought nothing of the _filth _before her, but the woman's eyes widened as she saw his eyes, filled with not only tears and horror, but with life, something of which that she oh so wanted to torment _personally._ A twisted smile rose upon her face as she descended towards the young man.

The young man couldn't move as he saw a very pale-looking woman descend before him. Her eyes seemed to glow with an evil aura as she stared at him with an equally evil looking smirk on her face. He noticed that she was wearing what appeared to be a rather revealing white sundress that virtually matched her skin. Her shins seemed to have some sort of black tattoo insignia that almost seemed regal. If it wasn't for the additional mass of armor and cannons attached to her back that seemed to be pointing at his general vicinity, he would've sworn she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen.

"You, human filth. You're either very lucky or very unfortunate to be kneeling before me. Your eyes almost reek of life but otherwise the color is rather nice. Wouldn't you agree that it would be better to remove the life from them?"

As she said that, her smile seemed to become even more twisted than it already was before and her eyes glowed an even darker shade of red, much to the young man's dismay.

"Rejoice, from now until the end of time, you are _my plaything_."

The young man, frozen in fear due to her overwhelming aura, couldn't move as a hand began to obscure his vision.

..

…

…

"AHHHHHHHH!" The young man screamed. He noticed his surroundings changed again to a familiar looking hospital bedroom.

'Damnit…That dream again,' the young man grieved. 'Why, just why did all of that had to happen? All those people, gone. I couldn't even speak, let alone do anything that day.'

The young man slumped back into his bed. His body was covered in bandages and IV drips were attached to his arms. His once dazzling amethyst eyes now seemed to have been voided out into a hollow like grayish purple. The young man couldn't help but continue to lament his own weakness that day, when suddenly, the door swung open, and a trio of people appeared. A young girl in a nurse uniform, an aged man in doctor clothes, and a young woman in naval attire came bursting through the door, looks of worry plastered upon their face.

"Shikikan! Are you okay?" Shouted the young woman in naval attire.

"I think I am now, but…who are you?" Asked the young man

"You…you don't remember?" the young woman asked him despondently.

"I'm sorry, but I can't seem to remember anything….well any good memories more specifically."

"It's okay, you went through a lot. My name is Victoria, I was your classmate at the World Maritime Naval Academy and was there with you during that…... day."

The young man's eyes, still hollow looking, widened as they looked at her, expressing feelings of fear and pain.

"Sir, please don't move to much! Your wounds are still not fully healed!" Begged the young nurse.

"She's right, after we found you shipwrecked…well maybe not shipwrecked but floating on a large ship rigging debris in the middle of the ocean covered in wounds and blood a month ago, we rushed you here and performed emergency operations. I honestly didn't think you would ever wake up, let alone survive. What happened to you? Your entire body looked battered like an old ragdoll." Informed the aged doctor.

The young man shook his head. "On that day, I was captured by the Sirens"

Everyone stood in shock

"That day, a high-ranking siren named Master Arbiter, or Empress III, took me in, claiming me as her plaything. She tortured and let her allies' experiment on me relentlessly. I was like a lab rat that wasn't allowed to die. The rest is a bit hazy, but all I remember is somehow managing to escape after what seemed like an eternity and now here I am." The young man explained, sadness obvious on his face.

The trio of guests couldn't help but sympathize the young man who endured too much.

The silence was broken by Victoria. "Shikikan….I..I'm so sorry." Tears could be seen falling down her face. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Sobbed Victoria.

The young man couldn't help but bring his hand up to pat the top of her head.

"Thank you…..thank you for crying for me, but please…there's nothing you should be sorry for. It wasn't your fault" The young man said, trying to calm down Victoria. She couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth and relief from his hand. It was so soothing, and yet so kind. She couldn't help herself grabbing his hands and bending down onto her knees, taking his hands close to her teary face.

"I'm so glad you're okay," smiled Victoria.

A ghost of a smile appeared on his face.

"By the way, is my name Shikikan? I really am hating how I can't remember anything useful, let alone good." The young man questioned.

Victoria got up and wiped away her tears. "No, it's not. I am sorry, but I don't know either and neither does anyone else since all information and files regarding our class seemed to have been burnt in the fires that day. Since our class was so large, we never met until that awful day….where you saved my life."

"I saved you?"

"Yes, I was injured from the aftershock of those monsters' cannon barrages and couldn't even get up. As they were continuing their assault, one of the buildings began to fall in my direction. I thought that sealed my fate, so I closed my eyes, praying that those monsters' get what they deserve. But when I opened it again, I saw you." Victoria said, looking at the young man with a warm smile. "You were carrying me in your arms and running away from where the building collapsed. You brought me all the way to the emergency submarine pods and told me to flee and get help. I tried to get you to come with me, but you ran off saying that there might be others alive and that you couldn't just leave and let them die."

The doctor and nurse looked at the young man with respect and adoration respectively.

"Did I find anyone else?"

"Unfortunately, no. Up until now, I was the only survivor of that day."

"Damn those Sirens…" the young man gruntled in dismay. "Wait. Did you say you found me a month ago?"

The doctor nodded.

"Then…how long has it been since that day?" Asked the young man.

Victoria hesitated briefly, but then spoke up. "It's been almost 5 years."

The young man stared wide eyed at the floor, shocked that so much time had pass without him knowing. "I…can't believe it…..what's the status of the situation with them then?"

"…..The Sirens have….taken over most of the seas." Stated Victoria

"Damn it all….," exclaimed the young man, "do we even have any hope in changing the tides?"

Victoria took both of the young man's hands and smiled. "Yes, we do, now that you are awake."

"Hold up. Are you saying that you expect him to just be able to get up and fight the Sirens!?" Exclaimed the nurse.

"I do." Stated Victoria. She then looked back towards the young man. "I know your memories are hazy. I know you have been scarred on all levels. And I know we barely know each other. But I know for a FACT that you are not the type of man to run away. Do you remember your speech day?"

The young man nodded no.

"That day, you spoke of how you wanted to change the world and how you will do everything in your power to protect those who need it. I, and everyone else that day, saw the look on your face that day and the light in your eyes, showing how you really meant it. I believed that you truly meant every word of it."

The young man was about to protest.

"Don't even think of trying to deny it! You were about to say that you failed right? You absolutely did not, you are the sole reason as to why I'm alive right now. We, collaboratively, failed in not being able to do a thing, not just you. So please…please don't blame just yourself for that day, it was beyond our power. You did everything you could, and for that I can wholeheartedly say that you are my hero, as cheesy as that sounds of course hehe." Victoria couldn't help but blush upon finishing her monologue.

"…You read me like a book. Are you sure we weren't closer than just classmates?" Another ghost of a smile appeared on the young man's face.

"Unfortunately, we weren't, but I plan on changing that soon hehe." Victoria said the last part quietly and blushed. "Anyways back to business. The reason I referred to you as _Shikikan_ is because HQ, thanks to yours truly, wants to appoint you as the new commander for the Azur Lane initiative in order to finally begin our counter on those monsters."

"Azur Lane?" The recently awoken and still bed-ridden young man questioned.

"I'll explain in due time, but right now, all you have to do is focus on getting better and listening to Dr. Sen's orders okay?"

"Sigh…I feel like you are going to work him to the point where I'll have to reserve a bed just for him" Dr. Sen said half-heartedly jokingly.

"Honestly…allthoooough I don't mind being his personal nurse whenever you overwork him _wink_." Smirked the young nurse.

Victoria blushed deeply at the duo's antics. "I'm not some sort of evil boss you know! And you better leave him alone Nurse Jenny! Hmph!" She crossed her arms and pouted, rather cutely in the young man's eyes.

The young man didn't realize it, but some life was starting to come back into his eyes as he began his journey once more to become a symbol of peace and stop those Sirens once and for all.

What he didn't know was that the Azur Lane initiative was something he would never have expected.

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Thank you for reading! This is my first time ever writing a fanfic so please don't hurt me. I've been playing Azur Lane since practically NA launch so needless to say, Azur Lane is my life lol. Let me know if you like the story so far and if you would be interested in more!


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone, before you start chapter 2, I just want to give a few announcements/shout-outs!**

**First, thank you all for the favorites and follows so far!**

**To starburst98 – Line break is fixed, unfortunately I didn't realize that it didn't save correctly when I initially added it. In regard to the story, they do seem a little chummy huh? Don't worry though, I had this happen with a plan in mind; and the same can be said for Victoria, she will help tie things up and remove some loose-ends that came to mind as I was plotting this story. You'll find out part of what I mean in the chapter below actually haha. **

**To Leonais Frostwind – Thank you! As I'm rather obsessed with anything Azur Lane, I do plan on incorporating both anime and game! More specifically: I plan to make this story take place after the events depicted in the anime thus far, but it will not necessarily follow the anime story. Hope that makes sense! **

**Now onwards to the story!**

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Chapter 2: An Unbreakable Human Will

"If you wanna to make people dream, you've gotta start by believing in that dream yourself!" – Seiya Kanie, Amagi Brilliant Park

After finally waking up from his coma, the young man found himself undergoing physical and mental therapy in preparation for his new role as the commander of the newly reformed Azur Lane. The young man was currently in a highly advanced looking examination machine in an observation room. While the young man seemed to be healing physically at a questionably high rate, the same can't be said for his mental therapy progress….

"Hmmm..." Dr. Sen hummed as he stared at the monitor outside of the examination room.

"What's the matter Doc?" Questioned Victoria, who was in the middle of her daily visits to see the young man's progress.

"His physical wounds are healing quite fast, terrifyingly so if I might add. It's almost as if his body is in a 'fast forwarded' state. Not once in my 50 years of doctoral experience have I seen anyone come even remotely close to how fast he's healing."

"Isn't that a good thing? How come you seem so concerned?" Questioned Nurse Jenny.

"Normally yes, but the scars all over him right now are what bothers me." Dr. Sen points to the monitor he's looking at and what was shown was almost surreal. Through an x-ray view shown on the monitor, the trio could literally see the young man's body heal. Wounds closing and forming scabs, broken bones regenerating, and scars fading at an absurdly fast rate.

"Look closely at the scars now," directed Dr. Sen, "The areas they are located are not just everywhere, but when you look at him as a whole, the scars seemed to have been planned ahead, almost as if he was the subject in a dissection lab."

"W-wait….then..that m-means the Sirens.." Started Victoria

"…I'm afraid so, lass. While I have no way of figuring out exactly what they did to him, I do know that they definitely did one of two things: either they put him under such immense stress that his body was forced to adapt quickly in order to survive, or, in my honest opinion the more likely story, they used him for human experimentation purposes."

Victoria and Nurse Jenny stood there dumbfounded, shocked, angry, and teary-eyed as they heard the doctor's diagnosis. 'Those monsters…How could they do something like this?' The two thought, almost as if they were in total sync with each other. Sure, humans experiment on living creatures all the time, but the fact that they kept their subject alive for almost 5 years, performing who knows what on an innocent young man was what appalled them. They couldn't even bring themselves to imagine the type of pain he must have went through all those years.

"Then is his amnesia caused by the stress of being experimented on?" Questioned Nurse Jenny.

"Most likely yes. Speaking of which, I want you two to take a look at this." Dr. Sen said as he pulled up a file on the monitor. "While he's healing rapidly physically, his mental state is rather concerning. I performed EEG, PET, and MRI scans to see how he was doing mentally and at first, he seemed to have only showed signs of potential PTSD issues. However, during last night, I had him hooked up to another EEG for further examination."

The file on the monitor of the screen showed very high readings at night in comparison to the day scan. "It seems that he's feeling a lot more than he's letting on. He was tossing and turning a lot at night and it seemed like he was having a rather awful nightmare. Based on his scans, I can't say for certainty that he won't have a mental breakdown if he encounters the Sirens again. I tried asking him about how he was doing mentally, but he kept insisting he was fine and ready." The doctor concluded.

"..May I go in and speak with him?" Asked Victoria?

"Please do, you might be able to get more out of him than either Nurse Jenny or I ever could… It's a shame that I can't treat him myself without needing to ask for outside nonclinical help, but with the state he's in, I'm willing to swallow my pride as a doctor. He seems like a good lad and I personally just want to help him in any way I could." Admitted Dr. Sen.

Victoria smiled and put a hand on the old doctor's shoulder and walked into the observation room.

"Hello Shikikan, how you are feeling?"

The young man turned to look at the entrance to see Victoria. Her long hazel brown hair flowed as she moved closer to him. She was wearing a fitted business casual magenta uniform on top of a white blouse and had modest 3-inch black heels on.

"Physically I feel fine, but Dr. Sen probably talked to you about my mental state huh?"

Victoria hesitated before speaking. "Yeah…he was talking about how he was unsure of how you would be able to handle meeting…..them again."

The young man remained silent for a bit before speaking. "I…I honestly don't know how I will react and just thinking of it just makes me nauseous. All the stuff they did to me…it's almost as if it just happened yesterday." The young man paused before continuing. "Last night, I had a nightmare. It was the same nightmare that's been haunting me every time I fall asleep. I saw that day happening again and again so many times. No matter how many times I saw it…the sight of…..the one who took me always left me feeling as if I lost the ability to even breathe. The stuff they did to me…burns, freezes, shocks, poison, injections, cuts, punches, kicks, scratches, bites…..was….awful….I felt so much sadness, anger, and fear for so what felt like an eternity."

Victoria was unable to look at him, let alone speak after hearing him pour out his thoughts and feelings to her. Before she was able to even think of some sort of response to help ease the young man, he spoke once more.

"But…despite all that, in that hell I was sentenced to, despite all that they had done to me…..despite everything I felt….."

When the young man paused, Victoria looked up to see something that she had never seen before.

The young man's eyes…They were…filled….with such….life!

More specifically, his eyes looked as if they were glowing and were emitting an intense blaze that signified stubborn determination.

"They had almost broken everything in me physically, mentally, and emotionally, but they failed to break one that I refused to let them break: my will to see the promise I made to myself a while after being captured that day through to the bitter end.

The young man's eyes sparked with a fiery determination that gazed through Victoria's shocked emerald eyes straight into her very being.

"After they had their fill of torturing and experimenting on me for the day, I lied down on a cold rough floor with darkness all around me. My memories before that day were already long gone, but the memory of that day in of itself was as fresh as if it just happened. The chaos that day, the screams and cries of all those people around me clinging to life, the sight of utter devastation, I remember it way too well. And then it hit me, what if those monsters do this again? At that moment, I felt something stir in me that I thought I would never have felt there: Hope. More specifically, the hope and determination I had to make sure that these Sirens pay for what they had done and to make sure that no one else would ever have to go through what I had to."

The young man's word seemed like they spoke from the bottom of his heart and straight into Victoria's. She felt every bit of fiery passion and determination he expressed in his story, almost as if she felt a fire all around her, but not a chaotic, raging, painful fire, but a warm and energizing flame that embraced her. "

"From then on, each and every day, I endured and endured and endured all of the things they did to me while planning a way to escape. At first I had no idea where to begin, but I noticed that they would take turns as if they were on a tight schedule, always taking the same amount of time having their fun for the exact same amount of time each and every day, with a few minute intervals in between as the next monster got ready. After memorizing every single detail of their schedule with me to the closest to every second as I could have gotten, I began my escape."

The young man paused to take a breath before continuing.

"I counted that the time I had at night to sleep was about 16,200 seconds, or about 4.5 hours sharp before their so-called _playtime _began again. During that time and every second I had in between their _turns_, I used a sharpened pebble, that I quietly sharpened against the floor, hidden underneath an open wound I had in my wrist and began scratching the shackles on my arms attaching me to the walls with it, hiding it again right before they would come in. I had to repeat this step time and time again to the point where I lost count after a thousand counts of attempts to finally break through those metal shackles. I didn't know for sure if it would work, but after stubbornly pushing on day after day after day, I noticed that the shackles began to feel looser and looser come passing every so day. When I finally felt confident enough that I could break out of them, I waited until the end of the 'day' and as soon as I counted to a about 8,100 seconds, to make sure that no one would be conscious enough to hear me break the shackles, I did just that. I was so malnourished that I could barely walk, let alone run, but if I didn't push past my limits then this would have been all for nothing. So I limped and struggled my way through out to the shoreline of their island hideout, where luckily there was still some metal and wood debris and seaweed washed up near the beachhead. I would usually hear cannon fire and explosions every so often, most likely from one of those monsters' equipment firings. So doing what I could, I made a makeshift raft as quickly as I could with limited amount of time I had and then sailed off. I couldn't believe I managed to have gotten this far, but as luck would have it, the seas I was in was quite turbulent and threw me for a loop. After that, I woke up on something that wasn't bedrock, but an actual bed and here we are."

Victoria could not believe the story he just told her, and neither could Dr. Sen or Nurse Jenny who were secretly listening through the microphones hidden in the room. The stubbornness of the young man and his sheer willpower was almost beyond human reasoning they thought. Before they could think of anything else besides of how amazing the young man was, the person in question spoke once more.

"Now that I've made it this far, I'm as determined as ever to see my promise through, despite my fears of those wretched monsters. I may hesitate and stutter, but I promise you Victoria, and to you Dr. Sen and Nurse Jenny," the young man said speaking louder at the latter, "that I WILL not give up and let them have the chance to do what they have done to anyone else EVER again.

Shocked and feeling guilty that they were caught, the two eavesdroppers walked into the room as well.

"Sorry…but how did you know?" Nurse Jenny asked

"After having to observe every little detail during my time incarcerated in order to figure out a way to get out, you'd have to learn to spot the most minute of details of world around you to succeed. That and I saw you staring at me through the window the whole time." The young man explained, causing the nurse to blush at her inability to be discreet at the second part.

"I understand your mental state a lot better now, but it still boggles me how you remained sane all that time" Said the dumbfounded old doctor.

"Now that I look back at it, it does seem absurd that I'm not broken mentally huh? I don't really know how to explain, but the thought of others having to go through what I did that day just fueled my determination to put a stop to them." The man answered with honest eyes that showed a lot more signs of life than when he initially woke up.

"You really are like a hero straight out of a comic book huh Shikikan?" Victoria said with a sigh that followed up with a smile that virtually radiated relief and joy.

The young man could do nothing but smile a small smile, a major improvement from his ghost of a smile he had before and especially from his empty expression during his time with the Sirens.

"…Alright, I'll trust that you know yourself best and that you won't do anything regrettable. Well from the story you've told us so, you're probably the most stubborn person that I've ever met, even surpassing myself" The old doctor said that last part with a brief snicker. "However, do promise me that you won't do anything too reckless alright? I was only joking about the part where I'd reserve a bed for you, being a doctor is hard work you know?" Dr. Sen said jokingly before continuing with a serious expression. "But in all serious, please do not push yourself too hard, I trust that you will know your limits, but as a doctor, I still am not 100% convinced about your mentality. If you ever feel that your mental state is weaker than what it is right now, you are to come straight here capische?" The doctor ordered as if he was talking to his reckless son.

"Will do Doctor, and I will personally make sure of it. You have my words." Pledged Victoria.

"Alrighty then, once we finish your examinations and tests three days from now, I'll allow you to leave and start your new journey, _Shikikan._"

"Thank you Doctor." Said the young man with a small, yet sincere smile.

After Dr. Sen and Nurse Jenny finished up the rest of the day's examinations, the young man and Victoria headed back to the young man's bed.

"Alright let's get down to business then."

"Are you finally going to explain this Shikikan role and Azur Lane organization to me?" Questioned the young man.

"Yes, now that I'm 100% certain after hearing Dr. Sen's approval of your health, I'm as confident as ever that you will meet my expectations. Alright first thing's first, allow me to introduce myself once again." Victoria stood at attention and saluted. "My full name is Victoria Alexandra Knight, Vice Admiral of the newly reformed Azur Lane alliance. I have been designated as your supervisor for your role as Shikikan of the Azur Lane ship girls."

The young man was shocked to hear how high ranking his former classmate was and confused as to when he heard her say "ship girls", but he decided against interrupting his much higher ranked superior.

Victoria couldn't help but let out a lighthearted laugh seeing his shocked face. "Don't worry, I prefer familiarity over formality when given the option and I would much rather prefer our friendly relationship to grow and continue." Victoria said with a smile, but underneath she was half happy to finally formally introduce herself and half worried that her hint might've been too obvious.

"I'm looking forward to working with you and appreciate you taking me under your care." The young man said while bowing his head slightly.

'….Sigh I can't tell if I'm relieved or disappointed at his obliviousness right now.' Victoria thought before continuing.

"As Shikikan, your role is to not only defend the seas against the Sirens and eventually go on the offensive, but to try and learn more about this." Victoria proceeded to pull out a small box she had in her bag. She opened the box to show some sort of blue cube that surrounded a smaller sphere in it. Inside the smaller sphere emitted a light white glow that seemed as if it was alive in the young man's eyes.

"Remember how I told you how the Sirens have _almost_ completely taken over the seas? Well, thanks to our science division, we were able to come up with this: The Wisdom Cube." She held it up and brought it to him to hold. Upon contact with the young man's hand, the light in the cube glowed brightly and danced around before calming back down. The young man couldn't help but stare at the fascinating cube in his hands.

"In short, wisdom cubes boosted over naval power tenfold by transforming our ships into ship girls."

"Wait w-" The young man was about to say.

"I know, I know, it sounds insane but bear with me. By transforming the ships into ship girls that serve as their individual ship's 'heart and soul', the combat prowess of our naval force has risen tremendously thanks to them. And believe it or not, these ship girls were able to stop those monsters' aggressive domination of the world's seas! They seemed to have quieted down a bit, which is relieving and concerning to say the least, but we needed the time to recuperate from their onslaught." Victoria sighed a tired sigh before walking to the window and speaking again.

"As ship girls, they have all taken on various forms of the female human form and have developed their own personalities and will. And as such, they have emotions as well, and that's where you come, Shikikan." Victoria turned around at that last part, pointed, and smiled at the young man.

"…" He had no words nor could he think of words to say and thus he wore a very confused yet interested expression on his face.

"Your job will be to guide these girls and work with them to defeat those monsters and bring about peace to the seas once again. Think of this like a mentor job combined with the job of a commanding naval officer. Soooo, what do you think? Besides confused and lost that is as clear as day on your face right now haha." Victoria jokingly asked.

"Besides that? Very curious to meet them to be honest. Seeing is believing after all."

"True, true, but before we get to that, are you able to remember anything from the naval academy classes or any of the experiences we had?"

The young man paused to think before responding.

"I…I don't think….so?" The commander half answered, half questioned.

"Hmm that's not good, but I expected as much due to your condition. But very well, it looks like I'm going to have to give you a naval warfare crash course over the next couple of days. I hope you're ready, I'm a tough teacher and I plan on living up to my reputation as an honors World Maritime Naval Academy graduate!" Victoria proudly stated while emitting a rather intimidating aura all with a kind-looking smile.

The young man, after all he had gone through the past half-decade had only one thought on his mind right now: 'This might be bad.'

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**Hope y'all liked the story so far! Have you noticed the character Easter eggs and references I had placed throughout the story so far lol? Let me know in the comments! **

**Also for future reference, would y'all prefer longer chapters than this or are these small chapters okay? Also let me know in the comments haha. **

**Finally, my updates are going to be infrequent due to holidays and work, but I'm really enjoying writing a fanfiction of my favorite mobile game so don't worry about lack of updates! All I ask is for your continued patience, support, and not too painful remarks! **

'**Til next time on Azur Lane fanfiction: An Unsung Legend, Chapter 3: The Ship Girls Appear! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! Thanks for your patience and let's get right into chapter 3!**

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"Once you fall in love, you really love that person through thick and thin." Oka Chinami, Golden Time!

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Chapter 3: The Ship Girls Appear!

After a couple days comprised of physical and mental therapy, long harsh lectures on naval warfare from Victoria, and some much-needed bed rest, the young m-no, the _Shikikan_ has finally recovered enough to get Dr. Sen's approval to begin his new journey.

"Remember, don't push yourself too hard and feel free to stop by anytime, preferably where your life isn't in any danger of course." Dr. Sen said as he saw the Shikikan and Victoria off.

"Yeah and hopefully Victoria doesn't bully you too much" Winked Nurse Jenny.

Victoria couldn't help but want to glare at the young nurse, but she managed to keep a calm head. "Alright we're off, thank you again for looking out for him Doctor and rest assured I will keep an eye on him so he doesn't do anything too stupid" Victoria smiled before getting into her car.

"Thank you for taking care of me Dr. Sen and Jenny" The Shikikan bowed gratefully before getting into Victoria's car as well, looking back to see them wave him off as Victoria drove to the Azur Lane base, the place where his new adventure begins.

"Alright, so now that you've healed enough and know enough about naval warfare to work properly as a Shikikan, let me fill you in on some more information about Azur Lane as a whole" Spoke Victoria as she drove.

Victoria explained how the Azur Lane was previously at war with another organization called the Crimson Axis, whom of which wanted to utilize the Siren's powers against them. Azur Lane was against the idea since the side effects were still unknown and considered too dangerous. This led to a full out bloody war between the two with Azur Lane managing to come out as the victor. Now that peace has been restored somewhat, Victoria specified how the Shikikan not only has to command the base but to try and build up a sense of camaraderie between all the factions in the newly reformed Azur Lane organization in order to effectively fight against the Sirens.

After about an hour of driving and talking, they spotted a massive bridge that led to a rather large island base a few miles out. Before they continued to said base, Victoria said she needed to stop at the town near the entrance to the bridge and refill her car first.

"Alright I'm going to make sure all the paperwork is all set and get some gas, feel free to explore the area while I get this stuff done. I should be done in about an hour or so but I'll call you if I finish early." Suggested Victoria.

"Sounds good, might be a good idea to say hello to the townspeople too since I'm at it." The Shikikan said before he walked off to explore. Since his officer clothes weren't ready yet, he sported a white hoodie over a plain white t-shirt, black pants, and black work shoes all given to him in addition to a cellphone as a parting gift from Dr. Sen and Nurse Jenny.

From the Shikikan's POV, the town seemed to be steadily growing with construction projects everywhere he looked. He walked around town, where he received a lot of stares from the construction workers and townsfolk alike, to which he responded with waves and greetings as the new Shikikan of the Azur Lane base. The townsfolk all saw him as a polite, nice, and young man with the most mesmerizing eyes that they've ever seen, the sole reason they were staring in the first place. The men thought of him to have a lot potential in being a reliable Shikikan while the women couldn't help but blush as they saw him walk by.

'Alright so this town seems to be transitioning from a large village to a small town, not much in terms of businesses but plenty of houses and stuff in progress. The townspeople, thankfully, all seem to be nice and aren't against the idea of me being the Shikikan.' Concluded the Shikikan.

As he walked further out into the farmland outskirts of town, he noticed small (chicks/ducklings?) gathered near a lake. His curiosity peaked, he walked down to see that they were all trying to pull out a larger (chicken/duck?) with what resembles a crown on-top of its head stuck in some fibrous algae. They all seemed to be struggling, so the Shikikan offered his help by taking off his socks, shoes, and hoodie and swam towards the center of the lake, where he proceeded to tear the algae out from the poor chicken/duck that was struggling to stay afloat the whole time. After he successfully tore away all the algae and carried the creature back to land, the creature jumped on him and snuggled against his cheek while all the smaller creatures jumped up gleefully around him. Some of the creatures then brought him a towel from somewhere to dry off and his clothes he took off, to which he couldn't help but smile at how adorable they all were. Afterwards, the one with the crown bowed to him to which the rest followed; they all then either bounced or hovered away back into the town.

The Shikikan looked at his phone and noticed that he had a message from Victoria saying that some of the papers needed her attention and that she needed more time to get everything under control, followed by a rather distressed emoji.

'Guess I have some more time to explore around.' The Shikikan then proceeded to walk back into town until a few minutes later he noticed that a dark bottle rolled down a hill and landed by his feet. Picking it up, he saw that it was a half empty bottle of bourbon. He walked up to the top of the hill and noticed that a young girl with long white hair tied into twin tails and a bunny ear head band on top was asleep under the tree on the top of the hill.

'Is this hers? Isn't she a little too young for bourbon? Wait, she could be older than she appears though' The Shikikan debated as he was trying to figure out what to do with the bourbon.

"Nmm…" The young girl moaned in her sleep as her hand was moving around, seemingly trying to find something next to her. When she couldn't find it, her sleeping face was becoming agitated to which by pure instinct and without even thinking, the Shikikan placed the bottle next to where her hand was searching. Her hand, feeling the bottle, grabbed it and snuggled it against her tiny frame as if it was a hugging pillow and her agitated face was quickly replaced with a relaxed one. She quietly snored as she turned over to her side and continued to sleep.

Unsure of what to do, the Shikikan shrugged his shoulders since the last thing he wanted to do was wake her up from her nice nap, showed a smile to the bunny haired girl, and began to descend the hill towards the town. As he was walking down, the young girl opened her eyes slightly to see someone walk down the hill and her bottle of bourbon safely in her arms. She looked at the back of the man before she snuggled her bottle again and went back to sleep.

The Shikikan managed to make his way back into town, more specifically into the town market filled with fresh fruit and vegetables and other people walking about. He took a seat on a nearby bench to enjoy the peaceful scenery, something he hoped to make sure would be here to stay and that the chaos he saw would only be a thing of the past. The Shikikan was visibly lost in thought as he was staring into the sky up until he heard a yelp.

"Aah!" Cried out the voice of a young girl with her animal ear hoodie flipped over her head as she fell down and dropped her bag of mixed fruit. The Shikikan immediately got off the bench and went to make sure she was okay.

"Owiee…" Said the young girl

"Hey are you okay?" Asked the Shikikan as he offered her a hand up.

The young girl flipped her hoodie down, showing that she had light purple hair tied into a small ponytail and had a tiara on the side of the top of her head. She looked up to notice that a man with the most beautiful amethyst eyes she ever saw was looking at her concerningly. She lost herself a bit in his eyes as she stared into them only to realize she had been staring when he asked "Um, are you okay?"

She immediately blushed and shook her head before speaking. "Uh yes! I'm okay thank you!" She took the man's hand before getting up. Afterwards the man bent down to pick up the scattered fruit surrounding them. The young girl blushed again before bending down to pick up her fruit as well. Once they managed to gather all the fruit, the young girl thanked the nice man for helping her before turning around to leave, only to wince as she was turning around. The Shikikan noticed her wince and looked down to see that the young girl had a fresh scrape on her leg. Luckily, thanks to the caring nature of Dr. Sen and Nurse Jenny, they had slipped in a small first aid kit into his hoodie's pocket.

"Hey, your leg is bleeding, if you don't mind, come sit on this bench I have first aid kit." Offered the Shikikan.

"Hwah? Um yes please and thank you!" The young girl frantically said with a blush that seemed to be constantly on her face as she was with the nice man.

The Shikikan proceeded to take the bag of fruits off her hands and offered her a hand to the bench, to which she shyly accepted. He then proceeded to treat her with some antibiotic ointment and placed a bandage over the now sterilized scrape. The young girl than hopped up, bowed and thanked the nice man again and apologized for the troubles.

"No worries," the Shikikan smiled lightly, "I'm just glad you're okay."

The young girl's blush reddened even darker. "T-thank y-you, y-you're a really nice person!" The young girl stuttered as she was trying to smile without her blush darkening any further as she looked at the nice man.

Soon after, the Shikikan waved goodbye and continued his explanation. As he was walking away, the young girl couldn't help but smile as she saw the nice man off and hoped to meet him again soon.

'Wait! I forgot to ask for his name and introduce myself!' The young purple haired girl said dejectedly.

'Alright where to next?' The Shikikan pondered as he kept walking until he came by a small bookstore. An idea popped into his head as he then decided to check it out to see if he could find any more information regarding naval tactics, considering how his amnesia wiped clean any knowledge he learned from the academy. Victoria did a great job teaching him, but he thought that it wouldn't hurt to try and learn more since he would hate to fail and even though he hasn't met them yet, he would hate to see the ship girls entrusted to him get hurt. From cookbooks to magazines to manga to erotica, the small bookstore had a wide variety of subjects. It took him a little while longer deeper into the bookstore until he found a section dedicated to war tactics. In said section however, he noticed a small girl with short blonde hair with a black, red, and blue bow on the side connected to a black cross and a blue beret with white ribbons flowing downwards. She was on her tippy toes on top of a stool trying to reach for a book that's still out of reach.

"Here let me help" Said the Shikikan as he walked over and easily grabbed to book for the girl.

"D-Danke!" The young blonde-haired girl smiled and said before she looked into his eyes. She was instantly mesmerized by his eyes that resembled amethyst crystals she once saw in a book. In addition, she felt that his eyes were sincere and kind, yet couldn't help but get a sense of hurt coming from them as well.

"Is something wrong?" Questioned the Shikikan.

"Huh? OHh! I'm sorry I-I uh… got lost in space! Thank y-you for helping me!" The young girl blushed and said frantically.

The Shikikan smiled kindly. "No worries. Are you interested in war tactics to miss?" He asked politely.

"Ja, the feeling of learning something new and the endless worlds and possibilities that books can create and send you to as you read them is so _erstaunlich_ to me! I can't help but want to study more so that I can be capable of understanding things more." The young girl spoke with a rather adorable passion in the eyes of the Shikikan.

Realizing that she has been speaking for a quite some time, she looked up again from her book to see the man smiling at her lightly and couldn't help but look away as her blush darkened.

"Ahem anyway, are you also interested in learning about war tactics too?" Asked the young girl trying to change the subject away from herself.

"Yeah, do you have any recommendations?"

"Hmm…maybe this one, and this one, this one might be good too….OH! Definitely this one" The young girl contemplated as she grabbed a rather large stack of books. A sweat drop was evident on the back of the Shikikan's head as he saw the impressive stack.

"Um…Could we limit it to like a book or two? It be hard to carry back all these books." The Shikikan smiled lightly and asked.

"Huh, oh!" The young girl didn't even realize the large stack she had made in the middle of the aisle. She blushed embarrassingly as she got lost in thought again in front of the nice, helpful man.

She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. "Sorry about that, hmm here take these two, I think these ones cover a lot more topics while the other ones I picked are more specified.

"Thank you." Smiled the Shikikan as he turned around to go pay for the books.

'I can't believe I embarrassed myself not once but twice to a complete stranger!' The young girl screamed internally. 'Well thankfully he seems to be nice and understanding, plus his eyes were so pretty that I cou-What am I thinking!?' The young girl put her hands up to her face, only to feel how warm her face was from all the blushing she had done in such a short amount of time.

"Thank you for your patronage" Said the bookstore owner as he ringed up the Shikikan's purchase. The Shikikan then proceeded outside where he felt his phone vibrate.

'Alright I should be done in about 15 more minutes, meet me back at the car around then?' Said the text message from Victoria.

'Will do, on my way now.' The Shikikan texted back, only to realize that he was lost due to him spacing out during his walk that led him here. Unfortunately, the large bridge he saw on his drive in where they parked nearby was nowhere to be found as he was surrounded by large buildings in progress and trees.

"Crap, now what." Said the lost Shikikan.

"Are you okay?" Someone asked.

The Shikikan turned around to see a young girl with platinum blonde hair tied and deep red eyes with some sort of red and white head accessories on her head. She wore what seemed to be a sailor uniform that left her waist exposed. Quickly looking back into the young girl's eyes, he responded.

"Actually, I'm sort of lost, do you know how to get back to the bridge?"

"Yes, I am on my way there now _des_. Please follow me…_des_."

"Thank you" Said the Shikikan as he began following the nice girl.

The walk back was not an awkward silence, but somehow a seemingly nice quiet one as they walked back together. That being said, the Shikikan couldn't help but try to bring up a conversation topic with his savior.

"Sooooo….are you from this town?"

The young girl seemed to hesitate a bit before answering. "Yes, I live nearby the bridge _des_."

And so, the walk turned back into the nice quiet walk all the way up until the Shikikan found Victoria's car.

"Alright I know my way from here, thank you very much for your help miss" The Shikikan bowed slightly in gratitude.

"It was nothing _des_. Have a nice day _des._" The young girl bowed slightly before walking away towards the bridge

The Shikikan swore he saw a ghost of a smile as spoke, unbeknownst to him that it was a similar ghost of a smile he sports on occasionally whenever he smiles.

"Ah there you are! Just in time too!" Said Victoria spotting the Shikikan.

"Glad I made it I had some help from -her?" The red eyed girl in question was nowhere to be found as he looked back to where she was walking to.

"? Well anyway good news. All the paperwork is done, and we are cleared to enter the base. Let's go!"

The two went back into Victoria's car and began to drive up to the entrance of the bridge, where they were stopped by a guard, who immediately realized that it was Victoria.

"Vice Admiral Victoria! My apologies I wasn't expecting to see someone of such high rank here today. What brings you here may I ask" The guard asked as he stood at attention and with deference to Victoria.

"I'm here to drop off the new Shikikan." Victoria said as he pointed to the Shikikan.

The guard then glanced over. "Sir! I look forward to working with you sir!" He then saluted, to which the Shikikan followed suit.

The two then proceeded to drive past the guard and drove towards the Azur Lane base. As he looked out the window, he looked down and noticed four small objects seemingly moving in the same direction he was in, but the sun light prevented him from being able to get a better look.

"So how you feeling? Nervous? Excited?" asked Victoria.

"A little bit of both but mostly excitement in meeting these ship girls in all honesty"

"Yeah, I would be too if I was in your shoes probably. I wouldn't worry though, they might be war veterans, but they all seem very nice. I've only met a few of them a couple of times, but overall that's what I've come to conclusion of."

"I'll take your word for it, I trust you wholeheartedly Victoria." The Shikikan said as he turned his head to smile lightly at Victoria.

Internally, her heart skipped a beat when he said that, but she somehow managed to keep calm as she was driving, albeit a dark blush and an unbeknownst growing grin on her face.

_Meanwhile on the base….  
_

"Haugh haugh….Mo…..we had to sprint back here at full speed because you fell asleep all the way into the outskirts of town Laffey!" An exhausted girl with blonde girl said while trying to catch her breath. "D-did we…haaa...make it back in..t-time?"

"Laffey…..had a nice dream under that tree…..sleepy…..zzz" Said the bunny-eared girl, seemingly tired and struggling to stay awake whilst standing.

"Hahhh…Y-yeah, just barely, t-thanks to you finding h-her Nimi!" Said a purple haired girl, also trying to catch her breath.

"Javelin, you dropped an apple as we were coming back _des_" Said a platinum blonde girl with red eyes, seemingly not as exhausted as her friends were.

"Oh! Thank you Ayanami-chan!"

"Nyaa!? Where were you all nya!? We were supposed to meet here to greet the new Shikikan nya!" Said a small green haired girl with cat-like features.

"Judging by how you all look, you four went into town I presume?" Asked another young girl with black hair covering one of her red eyes.

"Phewww….S-sorry Akashi! Shiranui! We're all at fault for losing track of time" Said Nimi who seemed to finally have caught her breath.

"It's nyokay nya! The Shikikan should arrive shortly nya!"

"Speaking of which, looks like he's here." Said Shiranui as she saw a green car getting off the bridge towards them.

"I can't wait to meet him! I hope he's nice" Javelin earnestly hoped aloud.

"I hope he's smart and a good leader" Said Nimi who also was quite curious as to what the new commander was like.

"I hope he lets me sleep zzzzz" Laffey said, falling asleep halfway through her sentence.

"I hope we get along _des_" Ayanami said, hoping the Shikikan was not going to be against ship girls.

_Back to the Shikikan_

"Looks like we're here and with a welcoming committee too!" Smiled Victoria before getting out of the car and telling the Shikikan to wait for her signal before coming out.

"Hello girls!"

"Hello Miss Victoria!" All the girls present said politely and enthusiastically.

"Great to see you all lively and well! So, let's get straight to it shall we? Who's ready to meet the new Shikikan?"

"Me!" They all said enthusiastically, except for Laffey who murmured it, but was clearly trying her best to stay awake out of her curiosity to see her new Shikikan, Ayanami and Shiranui, who said it with more as a matter-of-fact vibe, and Akashi who "Nya'ed" in response.

Victoria then looked back to the car and waved to the Shikikan to come out.

The sunlight was harsh as the Shikikan was getting out of the car so he had to avert his eyes by covering his forehead with his hands. He took a few steps forward until he reached the group of ship girls and Victoria and finally adjusted to the sunlight.

"Hello everyone, I'm the….new…..Shikikan?"

It was at that moment that the Shikikan realized that he had met four of these girls before, like barely-an- hour-ago before. His face showed slight shock and surprise as he looked at the revealed ship girls before him.

The aforementioned four also stared back at the Shikikan in his casual attire before….

"Ehhhhh?" Screamed the purpled hair and short blonde-haired girl.

"Ohh…" The bunny eared girl said seemingly surprised that the person in front of her looked like the one from her dream.

The red eyed girl didn't say anything but still showed a look of pure shock while Shiranui, Akashi, and Victoria looked at their fellow ship girls questioningly.

"Nya?" "Hm?" "Huh?" Said the green haired cat-looking girl, the black-haired girl with red eyes, and Victoria respectively.

The Shikikan took a moment to collect his thoughts before being the first to speak after the surprise revelation he and the four ship girls just had.

"I….I wasn't expecting to see all of you again so soon." The commander stated before showing them his light smile once again.

"Neither did I!" The purple and short-blonde haired girls said in perfect unison before looking at each other and then at the bunny eared girl and the platinum blonde haired girl with red eyes.

"You've all met before?" Asked Victoria, very lost in the whole ordeal.

"Technically yes, when you were doing the paperwork stuff I went around town and briefly met with each of them." Explained the Shikikan.

"Nya? So you all wanted to get a head-start by meeting the Shikikan first nya?" The cat girl said while smirking.

"No! It was a coincidence!" The girls previously in unison showed off perfect synergy once again.

"Hmm suspicious…" Said the blacked haired girl.

"This is one helluva coincidence huh?" Victoria said while looking at the Shikikan who could only nod slowly in reply. "Well anyway, let's introduce ourselves, shall we? You first." Victoria smiled as she looked at the Shikikan.

"Umm, hello everyone! I'm the new Azur Lane Shikikan. Pleased to meet all of you and I hope we get along!" The Shikikan briefly said before giving a light smile again and bowing.

The girls then followed suit.

"I'm Javelin! Shikikan, I look forward to your guidance!" Said the previously unknown purple haired girl while giving the Shikikan a smile that radiated happiness.

"_Guten Tag, _I am Z23, let us study and aim for the top together!" Said the now knownshort blonde-haired girl.

"Benson-class destroyer, Laffey, waiting for your orders...Shikikan, the ears are not real, so please stop staring at them..." Murmured the bunny ear girl, seemingly tired and struggling to stay awake.

"I'm...Ayanami _des_, they like calling me the "Demon" _des_. Thanks for having me…_des_." Said the platinum blonde red-eyed girl.

"Nya! The one and only repair ship, Akashi, that's me! I run nya base store so come and see me often nya!" Said the cat girl.

"And I'm the second ship of the Kagerou-class, Shiranui...I'll be in your care, Shikikan." Said the black-haired girl with a blank face.

"Alright now that we've formally introduced ourselves, how about we go for a tour around base and get lunch after?" Victoria recommended.

The tour began with the girls showing off the various facilities shared by the ship-girls. These included, but not limited to, Akashi and Shiranui's respective stores, the lecture hall and tactical classrooms the girls regularly attend to maintain a proper education both in and out of naval warfare, the four main factions (Eagle Union, Royal Navy, Sakura Empire, and Ironblood) dorms and their decorative variations to suit each faction's tastes, and last but not least, the canteen, where all the ship girls go to eat and where the Shikikan, Victoria, the starter squad, and the two main merchants on the base decided to have lunch.

The canteen was a rather large facility, decked out with the latest in kitchen technology and had plenty of seats available. As he stepped inside, the Shikikan noticed some familiar looking creatures hovering and bouncing about carrying supplies. When said creatures noticed him, they immediately stopped what they were doing before rushing towards him and jumping onto his person.

"You guys are here too?" Questioned the Shikikan who was starting to feel overwhelmed by the massive number of adorable creatures jumping onto him.

"Ehhh? Shikikan you met the Manjuus already too?" Javelin asked.

"Yeah before I met you girls, I ended up helping them out by getting one of them with some sort of crown on-top of its head stuck in some roots and algae out of the lake in the town's outskirts."

"A crown?" Questioned Victoria before….

"Ehhhh!? You met the Manjuu Queen!?" A very surprised Z23 said. "The Manjuu Queen is said to be the sole leader of all the Manjuus in the world!"

"Ohhh so that's what they're called." Replied the Shikikan who unintentionally diverted the question somewhat. He then proceeded to rub his finger on the cheek of one of the Manjuus on his shoulders, to which it chirped with bliss.

"Shikikan, you're amazing. I have yet to even seen the Manjuu Queen before." Ayanami said in slight surprise.

"Huh really? I've seen them everywhere since I arrived in town, but is the Queen really that hard to find?"

"All Manjuus obey the Queen and is supposed to be well guarded and hidden, but the fact you not only found her, but saved her must mean that the Manjuus have taken a liking towards you." Victoria hypothesized.

"The Manjuus are really helpful at the base and in town by helping building things and providing maintenance yawnnnn." Said Laffey.

"To be honest, besides nya fact that they answer to a queen and that they ny'all possess rather high intelligence levels, we don't know much else about them nya." Akashi explained.

"Either way, it's a good thing to be on their good side Shikikan." Stated Shiranui.

"Hmm, well they seem nice so it's only right to be nice back to them…right?" The Shikikan half replied in the form of a question.

"Eheh, Shikikan you're a nice person" Commented Javelin with smile.

The Shikikan could only smile lightly back at the girl's rather adorable smile.

"Well anyway, who's hungry? You girls can sit back and catch up with Victoria while I go check out the kitchen and whip something up for us." The Shikikan inquired.

"Wait, since when do you know how to cook?" Asked Victoria who was seemingly surprised he seemed confident in being able to cook up something for them.

"Well, I got tired of reading Dr. Sen's medical books and Nurse Jenny's magazines didn't seem too interesting to me so I decided to spend some of my free time watching cooking channels on the TV in my room back in the hospital."

"Nya? Shikikan were you hurt before coming here nya?" The cat girl seemed rather confused as to why the Shikikan was in the hospital.

It was at that moment the Shikikan realized that the ship-girls didn't know about his past. He looked towards Victoria questionably , who only looked back at him before replying with a nod and a smile that somehow said, 'it's okay, go ahead' and 'I'm here to help'.

"Well….I.."

_Growlllllll_

"….I'm hungry." Laffey stated after her stomach growled in demand of food.

Everyone began to laugh, even the Shikikan who chuckled a bit at Laffey's airheaded cuteness.

"Well, let me go make some food first before we talk. You girls go ahead, relax, and catch up with Victoria. I'll try to be quick" The Shikikan offered a light smile before walking into the kitchen.

"…He seems like a nice person." Shiranui was surprisingly the first to speak after the Shikikan left for the kitchen.

"Yeah! I think we'll all get along with him!" Javelin radiated in positivity.

Meanwhile the girls were having their fun conversing with each other, the Shikikan was looking around the kitchen to see what he had to work with.

'Hmmm there's so many pots and pans and devices I thought I would only see on the cooking shows. For food, there seems to be enough to last for weeks on end.' The Shikikan pondered on what he should make. 'Hmm, first impressions are pretty important right? Might as well put in the extra effort and make something special for each of the girls. Maybe something unique to their factions? But that would take a lot of time and Laffey seemed really hungry now..."

_Chirp Chirp!_

The Shikikan turned around to see a lot of Manjuus wearing chef hats lined up before him on the countertop as if they were waiting on his commands.

"..Do you guys want to help?" Asked the confused Shikikan.

_Chirp Chirp Chirp!_

Somehow the Shikikan understood that their chirping meant 'yes'.

"Well then, since I plan to make something special for each of them and will need some time, could I ask that you guys start by making some appetizers for them? Doesn't need to be too complicated, but something that can keep them busy while I make the entrees would be great."

_Chirp!_

The Manjuus scattered and immediately got to work by cutting up some vegetables, boiling some broth, and prepping some shrimp.

The Shikikan was starting to understand how incredibly amazing the Manjuus are.

'Alright, let's get to work' The Shikikan said in his mind before rolling up his sleeves and beginning to cook to impress the girls.

In under half an hour or so, the Manjuus brought out some appetizers for the girls consisting of an assortment of tomato and cucumber salads, miso soup, shrimp tempura, and onion rings.

After taking a couple of bites of each…

"Wow! This is great!" Exclaimed Victoria

"The Manjuus are really good at whatever they do, needless to say their cooking is great too" Z23 explained.

The Manjuus chirped cheerily in response.

After a few more moments of happily waiting and enjoying their conversations with each other, the Shikikan came out with a cart full of dishes with silver cloches on them that hid what was underneath.

"Sorry for the wait everyone and I hope you all are still hungry." The Shikikan said as he was putting the hidden dishes in front of each person.

One by one, the Shikikan revealed the dishes he worked so hard on.

First was Laffey's.

"For Laffey, an apple-wood smoked bacon cheeseburger with the works and a side of hand tossed crinkle cut fries."

Laffey's stomach growled and her eyes glowed at the sight before her.

Next was Javelin.

"For Javelin, fish & chips with freshly caught cod battered and fried until golden brown and potatoes cut and fried into golden chips."

Javelin couldn't help but look at the food in front of her with twinkles in her eyes.

Third was Z23.

"For Z23, pork schnitzel breaded and fried until golden brown with a side of authentic German potato salad **[Author Note**/**fun fact: authentic German potato salad has bacon in it!]**

Z23 was trying her best not to shed a tear at the prettily plated dish in front of her as she was also trying to prevent her stomach from growling.

Ayanami's turn.

"For Ayanami, pork katsudon with the pork battered and fried to a golden brown, eggs cooked in a sweet mirin and salted broth over freshly steamed white rice."

Ayanami's eyes were widened and a slight bit of drool was apparent, to which she quickly wiped away embarrassingly and hungrily.

Akashi's next.

"For Akashi, grilled sanma grilled over a hot clay pot and a side of freshly steamed wild rice."

Akashi 'Nya'd' in absolute joy as her eyes turned to fish.

Shiranui's up.

"For Shiranui, Japanese style spicy mapo tofu with optional additional spicy sauce on the side next to a bowl of freshly steamed white rice."

Shiranui tried to maintain a calm face, but her excitement was given away due to the sparkles dancing in her eyes.

And last, but not least, Victoria.

"And for Victoria, an avocado tuna melt wrap made with tuna and mayonnaise made from scratch, shredded mozzarella cheese, and a side of homemade shoestring golden-brown fries.

Even Victoria succumbed to hunger as her stomach growled at the site of the dish before her.

"Hopefully you all like it." The Shikikan said in hopes that his efforts would pay off.

After a few bites of their various lunches...

"Mhmm Gnom Mhmm Gnomm." Laffey seemed to be really enjoying and lost in her burger.

"Mhmmmm so good!" Javelin couldn't help but fall in love with the depth of flavor in the fish and chips.

"Wow! This is the best schnitzel I've ever had!" Z23 couldn't and didn't want to stop herself.

"So delicious" Ayanami said with an adorable happy smile as she continued to eat.

"Nya, Shikikan you're the best nyaaaa." Akashi seemed to be melting, in a good way of course.

"This spiciness and flavor are something to die for." Shiranui said as she continued to add the spicy sauce on the side to her plate with happiness very apparent on her face.

"I had no idea you were such a great cook! Did you really only learn all of this from watching cooking channels!?" Victoria was shocked at the depth of flavor her tuna melt had.

"I'm glad you all are enjoying it" The Shikikan smiled and sighed in relief that this hard work paid off.

"Oh! Before I forget, I made something for you guys too." Shikikan said as he looked towards the Manjuus who looked back with question marks apparent on their heads. He proceeded to take out a plate that had an assortment of smashed grains. "Thank you for all your help, this might not be much, but it's a plate of toasted nuts and other whole grains that I mixed and mashed together."

The Manjuus happily chirped and ate the unexpected meal before them."

"Shikikan, aren't you going to eat?" Asked Ayanami.

"I was going to make something simple for myself, but I ended up getting full from taste testing everything I was making" The Shikikan lightly smiled before making a small chuckle.

After the girls happily ate their meals...

"That was amazing! Thank you Shikikan!" Javelin said as happy as can be.

The other girls thanked him as well as the Manjuus chirped happily.

"I'm glad you liked it" The Shikikan smiled again.

"So Shikikan, could you tell us about yourself?" Asked Z23, curious as ever about her new commander that seemed like a really nice person and a really great cook. All the other ship girls had the same view of him and even Shiranui had to admit she was curious to learn more about him.

The Shikikan looked towards Victoria, he responded with another smile and nod.

"Well….I'm currently having severe memory loss, but I'll do my best with what I do remember."

The Shikikan then proceeded to retell his rather depressing, yet courageous story starting from his time at the World Maritime Naval Academy. He talked about how he only remembers being happy during his time there, well….before that day. He retold the story he told at the hospital and by the time he finished, all the ship girls looked rather sad with some having tears after hearing the tragic story he experienced. Others also felt upset and abhorred at the Siren's cruelty towards him.

The Shikikan couldn't help but look down dejectedly as the horrible memories flashed in his mind, when all a sudden he felt a warm sensation on his right hand.

"?" As the Shikikan looked up, he noticed that someone's hand was on his hand. He looked up further and noticed that it was Ayanami, who had a look of determination on her face.

"_Daijoubu_, I will protect you." She said before smiling warmly and caringly at him.

The Shikikan couldn't help but move his right hand from under Ayanami's to holding her hand.

"Thank you, that means a lot Ayanami, and I promise that I won't let you down as a commander." The Shikikan said with the largest smile he has made thus far, causing Ayanami to smile back with a warm blush. While his smile didn't seem very big at all, it radiated gratefulness and determination.

'No fair Ayanami! I wanted to hold hands with the Shikikan too!' Javelin exclaimed in her mind. "M-Me too! Those Sirens are too cruel." She said afterwards.

"I won't let the enemy near _herr commandant_." Z23 said with a serious face.

"Laffey too will protect her friends." Laffey said without a yawn but with determination.

Akashi and Shiranui nodded in response to the starter squad's pledges.

"Shikikan nya, come stop by Akashi store later nya. I have some stuff I want to give nya." Said the green haired cat girl who wanted to help out the Shikikan too.

"Just this one time, come to my store too and I will give you a discount on somethings you might like." Shiranui added surprising everyone since she never once offered a discount before.

After lightening up the mood, the Shikikan couldn't help but smile again as he got to better understood how kind the ship girls were.

"Thank you everyone. Now back to important matters. Who wants dessert?" Like magic, a 'ding' could be heard from the canteen kitchen's oven. The Shikikan got up and the Manjuus after finishing their food followed after him. The girls were surprised once again that the Shikikan even managed to make dessert in such a short amount of time given all the different lunches he made.

The Shikikan came out with the cart once again and with the assistance of the Manjuus served each of the girls a nice slice of his freshly baked, straight-out-of-the-oven black forest chocolate gateau cake topped with cherries and whipped cream.

"I'm in heavennnnnn." Javelin said as she seemed to be melting into her chair.

The other girls hummed in agreement and pure bliss as the cake melted in their mouths with each bite they took.

After the girls managed to gather themselves after eating the heavenly cake…

"Alrighty girls, I need to get down to business stuff with the Shikikan so you girls are free to leave." Victoria said, to which all the girls thanked the Shikikan once again for the amazing lunch and dessert before leaving the canteen.

Victoria then led the Shikikan to the center of the base, where she stated was where the Shikikan's office was located.

"Alright we're here." Victoria opened the wooden door to the office and upon stepping in, he noticed that the office was on the smaller side but was otherwise nice and clean. There were some plants around the office with a large brown desk and black office chair in the back of the room. There was a black couch to the side of the room with a wooden coffee table next to it atop a clean red rug. There were other office essentials such as filing cabinets, bookshelves, a small fridge and microwave, and a small supply closet with cleaning supplies, a space heater, and a desk fan inside.

"Here's your office, it might be on the smaller side, but don't worry, you'll get the chance to upgrade and expand when you rank up and get some personal income flowing." Explained Victoria.

Just as she finished, her bag began to vibrate, to which she took out a flat circular device that she placed on the desk before pressing the blinking red button on the side. A hologram of an old man with thick rectangular glasses and a well-groomed mustache and beard in high naval officer attire appeared before them.

"Hello? Hello? Is this thing working?" Asked the old man. "Sir, you are on video call." Stated a female voice in the hologram's background.

"Yes, Fleet Admiral we can see you." Victoria said with a light chuckle as a few drops of sweat was apparent on the back of her head **[Author note: Like you would see in anime].**

"Oh! There you are!" The old man said as he looked up to where Victoria and the Shikikan stood.

"Ahem. Greetings Shikikan. My name is Teitoku, I am the Fleet Admiral of all the Azur Lane operations." The old man stated with a kind smile.

"Sir! Thank you for having me!" The Shikikan immediately stood at attention and saluted his very much higher ranked officer.

"Kekeke at ease laddy." Cackled the old man. "Much like my daughter, I prefer familiarity over formality whenever possible."

'Wait…where have I heard that phrase before….?' The Shikikan questioned himself.

"I have received the reports saying that you are awake and healthy, albeit some memory loss is that correct?"

"Yes sir! Please rest assured though that my naval capabilities have been retrained into me by Victo-Vice Admiral Victoria sir!"

"Kekeke glad to hear my daughter didn't scare you away" Teitoku said light-heartedly.

"Dad! I mean…Fleet Admiral! Please refrain from unnecessary comments!" Victoria exclaimed with a very embarrassed blush.

'Her dad's the Fleet Admiral!?' The Shikikan was visibly shocked at this discovery.

"Kekeke, _hai hai_. Anyway laddy, back to business. I assume you've gotten the chance to meet some of the ship girls?"

"Yes sir! They all seem very capable and I sincerely look forward to working with them!" The Shikikan stated his true feelings.

Teitoku smiled upon hearing that. "Very good to hear. Since Victoria has briefed you upon the situation with the Sirens, I'll keep this short and sweet." Teitoku then put on a very serious face before continuing.

"Shikikan, the situation with the Sirens is quite dire. All the nations in the world have gathered together to fight off those blasted Sirens, but their technology is overwhelmingly superior. And that's where you come in." He paused to look at Shikikan, who looked back with a fiery determination ablaze in his amethyst-gray eyes. Upon seeing this, Teitoku's serious face lightened up.

"Your eyes show that you've seen a lot but have the will and determination to see things through." Teitoku concluded wisely, surprising both the Shikikan and Victoria. "I feel a lot more relieved now that I've met you. Victoria, great work finding such incredible potential." Teitoku said with great relief and happiness.

"Thank you sir!" The two saluted to their respective compliments.

"Shikikan, your job is to not only combat the Sirens and bring peace back to this war-scarred world, but to maintain the friendly relations of the ship girls' various factions and build a sense of unity, which in turn will help you with your combat against those monsters." Teitoku clarified to the Shikikan his job once more.

"Now, Victoria, if you would please."

"Sir!" Victoria then proceeded to pull out a box from her bag that she then gave to the Shikikan. When he opened it, a silver wristwatch with what seems to be a display screen on it instead of a clock was revealed.

"In short, that wristwatch monitors all your registered ship girls' statuses in terms of damages and mental state. You will need this to make sure all the girls stay safe and sound before, during, after, and outside of all operations. And yes, it functions as a clock to kek." Teitoku explained the fascinating device.

"Alright now, Victoria, may I ask that you leave the room so I can discuss some more private matters with the Shikikan please?"

"Yes sir." Victoria saluted before walking out the office and closing the door.

"Shikikan, I must thank you." Teitoku's serious face was replaced with his usual kind one.

"May I ask for what sir?"

"For saving Victoria from the chaos of that…day five years ago. When I heard about what happened I rushed to try and help, but I was commissioned too far away to make it in time. I was worried sick and panicking over the idea of losing Victoria, but when I got word from the base she managed to reach after you helped her escape, she told me everything that happened. She told me how heroic you were in how you saved her from a falling building caused by the Siren's assault, and even prioritized her safety over your own by having her escape first. For that I thank you from the bottom of my heart." Teitoku proceeded to take off his hat and bowed in sincere gratefulness.

"Sir please raise your head. I only did what I thought was right and could do during that nightmarish day, and if I'm to be honest, I really wish I could've done more…."

"…You're a good person laddy but give yourself some more credit!" Exclaimed Teitoku. "It takes a lot more than just guts to stand up to those monsters, let alone not be paralyzed in fear, unable to do anything. You were a hero to not only me, but to Victoria that day as well. You even managed to survive the past 5 years captured by those monsters and even managed to escape. To me, you are an unsung legend that I wholeheartedly believe is destined for greatness from here on out. Remember that if you ever falter laddy." Reasoned Teitoku with sincerity and a bright smile.

"That means a lot sir, thank you."

"Please…call me Teitoku when it's just us."

"I don't know sir that seems to be a little too..."

Teitoku frowned slightly before grinning. "Hmm, how about Father than? I'm sure you've somewhat noticed my daughter's admiration towards you, it was pretty obvious whenever she would talk about you kek kek."

The Shikikan actually blushed an almost unnoticeable blush before responding. "V—V-Victoria is a very nice, incredibly b-beautiful lady, but I don't think she feels anything like that towards me." Shikikan said as his blush was starting to become a bit more visible.

"…Pfftt Kahahahaa! How nice it is to be young kahahaha!" Teitoku couldn't help but break out in tears and laughter.

The Shikikan could've sworn he heard a 'thud' at the door.

"Sir, you are scheduled for a meeting in ten." Said the female voice in Teitoku's background.

"Oh right, thank you Alexa. Alright Shikikan, now that we've met and I've briefed you on the situation, I only have one more piece of advice. I'm aware of your personality somewhat now and saying this might be unnecessary, but please take good care of the ship girls. I'm sure you've noticed they are more than just powerful weapons that was given to humanity as miracles."

"Yes sir, they all have their own personalities and quirks, and I've not once thought of them as anything less than fellow people with their own sense of self. They are most admirable and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to connect with them that you have given me." The Shikikan bowed to his superior, who only smiled at how 'right' of a choice he was for the job.

"Heeheheee" There it was again, a noise behind the door.

"I'm relieved you feel that way Shikikan and I'm looking forward to hear of your endeavors. Please keep in touch and don't be a stranger."

"Will do…..Teitoku." Shikikan smiled lightly.

Teitoku smiled back before…

"Oh! Before I forget take a look at your watch. There is a feature titled "affinity" that helps you understand If your relationship with each ship girl is on good terms or, god forbid, bad terms. In short, a score of 50 is a baseline level where anything below is bad and anything above is good. Needless to say, but try to maintain a score higher than 50 with all the ship girls Shikikan."

"Will do!"

"Good! Well I'm off to attend to matters. Take care and good luck Shikikan!" Teitoku saluted before his hologram disappeared.

'Good to see that everyone's still able to smile despite the Sirens' presence in the world.' Shikikan thought in happy relief.

'Now what was that noise I kept hearing behind the door?'

Shikikan began to walk back to the door when…

"Wahhh!"

"Ehh!? Wait Javelin don't…!"

Javelin, Z23, Ayanami, and Laffey bursted through the door onto the group piled up.

"Owiee…Oy Javelin!" Z23 said with an embarrassed flush

"S—Sorrryyy! I tripped over Laffey's bourbon!"

"Ohhh Shikikan….wanna take a nap together?" Laffey asked casually before she took a swig from her bottle, not really paying any heed to being unable to get up as she was at the bottom of the pileup.

"…Sorry for eavesdropping Shikikan." Ayanami looked down slightly apologetically.

Shikikan couldn't help but let out a light chuckle seeing the starter squad's antics. He proceeded to walk over to pat Ayanami's head, who immediately looked up after feeling a kind, warm, gentle sensation and realizing that it was the Shikikan's hand.

The Shikikan then proceeded to help the ship girls up one by one.

"Did you girls need something?" Shikikan asked with a kind light smile.

"N-not really, I just wanted to visit you in your office Shikikan. But then I heard a voice and your voice talking and I couldn't help but get curious teehee." Javelin smiled cutely as she rubbed her head awkwardly.

"I-I wanted to see if I could help you study naval tactics but saw Javelin and Victoria with their heads against the doors and I got curious too." Z23 said with an embarrassed guilty blush

"Laffey wanted to take a nap in Shikikan's office." Said the bunny eared girl as carefree and as bold as ever.

"Ayanami…wanted to talk to Shikikan more" She blushed adorably while looking to the side.

"Hahaaa" Shikikan managed to do an awkward laugh while rubbing the back of his head before realizing something.

"Wait Z23, did you say Javelin _and_ Victoria?" Shikikan asked, to which she nodded her head and pointed back to the door.

The Shikikan walked towards the door to see Victoria with her head in her knees to the side. Victoria noticed his presence and looked up to show him a light red mark on her forehead and a very bright red blush on her face as she looked at him.

"…B-Baka.." Victoria said as she continued to redden as she gazed into Shikikan's crystal colored eyes.

"Eheh…ummm….how much did you girls hear?"

"Victoria thudded her head against the door when you were talking about her." Laffey said before continuing to down the bottle in her hands.

"And we heard up until your thoughts on us before Javelin started giggling like crazy." Z23 said as she looked at the culprit who stopped her from hearing more.

"B-But! How could I not be happy when the Shikikan compliments us like that!" Javelin tried to defend herself as she held her hands up to the sides of her face as swung her head left and right repeatedly with hearts coming out of her head comically.

'So that means no one overheard the affinity business huh?' Concluded Shikikan.

"Ahem" Victoria cleared her voice as she got up and tried to recover herself. "Well, Shikikan, it seems my d-Fleet Admiral Teitoku approves of you…...of you being the Shikikan I mean!" Victoria stuttered.

Shikikan smiled in response, "Yeah he seems like a nice person and a great leader."

"He might be kind of a clown, but yeah, he's really good at his job. But anyway, I think it's time I head on back and get back to work. You have my number on your phone and I'll be keeping in touch so don't lose it okay?" Victoria said as finally collected herself.

"Sounds good and thanks again for everything Victoria." Shikikan responded with a kindhearted smile

And Victoria's blush returned triumphantly. "N-No problem, keep in touch and good luck!" She said before walking away to her car all while looking backwards and waving everyone off in a hurry.

'I hope what she overheard doesn't bother her too much.' Shikikan though as he was curious as to what Victoria thought.

"Well girls, I think I'm going to head over to Akashi's and Shiranui's stores and see what they have for sale. Wanna come along?" Asked Shikikan.

Before they could all reply 'Yes', as if by a stroke of bad luck, their phones all vibrated in sync. They read the message before looking back up at the Shikikan.

"Sorry Shikikan, I need to go report to my Ironblood"

"Same, Royal Navy asked me for a progress report.

"The Sakura Empire wants Ayanami to give them a status report."

"Eagle Union wants Laffey to tell them about Shikikan."

"Oy Laffey! I- I mean Laffey you meant a status report right ahahaha." Javelin asked awkwardly.

"Mhhmm? Oh..yeah Laffey meant to say status report, not Shikikan."

"Sigh, well anyways sorry Shikikan, it looks like we all have to go our separate ways due to business." Z23 said with a hint of regret.

"No worries, I'll probably be at Akashi's and Shiranui's for a while before heading back to my office."

And so, the girls and Shikikan went their separate ways…seemingly. When the Shikikan was out of sight, the girls immediately got together again.

"Did you all get asked for reports on the Shikikan?" Asked Z23

"Yeah, I can't wait to tell them! Shikikan seems so cool!" Javelin said with excitement.

"Laffey likes Shikikan…..He makes good food and is nice yawnnn."

"Ayanami will be happy to report Shikikan is a good person to the Sakura Empire."

"Yeah, I plan to give a positive report to Iron Blood as well. He seems like a good capable leader, but…let's agree to not give out the details of _herr kommandant's_ past, I think he might want to tell them himself." Z23 recommended, in which everyone quickly nodded in agreement.

The girls than scattered to give their reports through their phones.

Almost as if in sync, they all began their separate video calls.

"Ayanami, reporting in"

"Laffey, here"

"Javelin is ready to report."

"Z23 ready to report on Shikikan's evaluation."

They all paused before saying the same thing.

"The Shikikan is a good person!" They all reported as if in unison to their respective leaders.

Meanwhile...

"Achoo!" 'Hmm, I hope I'm not coming down with a cold or something' The Shikikan thought as he was making way towards Akashi's and Shiranui's stores.

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**Phew! First of all, thank you all for the likes and follows! This is the first and longest fanfic I've ever written and I'm glad people are liking it! As you can tell, I'm having a lot of fun writing this and I plan to try and keep at least a weekly update at the latest per week. It all depends on work and life tho tbh.**

**Anyways thanks again for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter of: **

**Azur Lane fanfic: An Unsung Legend Chapter 4: The first commission! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey y'all! I'm back with chapter 4! Too bad about the anime being delayed til March, but I can appreciate the quality over quantity choice. Sure, it deviates from the game and the story is not very clear, but I remember seeing that it was asked to be taken as a fun fanservice show appreciating all the Shipfus. Regardless I'm just glad seeing them adapted into anime despite not being created in japan. **

**But anyways back to the fanfic, hopefully y'all are enjoying it thus far! Feel free to give it some likes and follows to let me know if you like it! Ight that's enough from me, onwards to the story!**

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Chapter 4: The First Commission!

"Courage is being scared to death, but doing it anyways." – Muguruma Kensei, Bleach

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**A/N: Starting off from where chapter 3 ended, the starter squad proceeded to give their reports to their respective faction leaders.**

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{With Laffey}

"Laffey, here."

"Good work, how are things at the base?" Asked the voice of a silver haired beauty in a sleeveless white blouse, a long black tie, and a large black coat that were draped just around her upper arms. "Were you able meet the Shikikan yet?"

Laffey finished off her bottle of bourbon before answering. "Yes, Laffey met the Shikikan."

"Ohh? What's he like? Is he nice? Cool?" Asked another voice of a tomboyish girl with long blonde hair and a large white cape.

"Laffey likes Shikikan" Upon saying this the figures on the screen widened their eyes in surprise at the bunny eared girl's statement before smiling in relief, allowing her to continue.

"Shikikan makes really, REALLY good food, is nice to Laffey, and lets Laffey sleep."

The two figures were not expecting to hear such positive remarks from the sleepy bunny eared girl.

"Oh Laffey, I hope you're not causing the Shikikan too much trouble." A beautiful girl with long blue hair remarked in the background.

"Laffey is happy, all is good." Laffey replied with a wink and a thumbs up to the three ship girls on her phone screen.

"Hahaha" The blonde tomboy laughed awkwardly. "Well anyway stuff over here in the Eagle Union territory seems fine for now, but once we do some more patrols and build up the defenses around here, we will be coming back to the Azur Lane base."

"As the Eagle Union representative while the rest of us are back here, make sure you keep everyone safe Laffey."

"Roger" Laffey said with a rare serious attitude.

"Oh Enty-nee chan, you worry too much, I'm sure Laffey and her friends will be fine. Or are you that interested in meeting the Shikikan _wink_?" A young blonde girl with twin-tails wearing a cowgirl hat and in very revealing attire said teasingly.

"…" The silver haired girl glared slightly at the twin tailed blonde before sighing. "Well he did win over Laffey very quickly, so I guess I am curious but that's all." She continued.

"I am glad to hear he seems to be nice though." The tomboy commented.

"Yeah me too, unlike Enty nee-chan though, I'll admit I am interested in meeting him soon haha." The carefree twin tailed jabbed lovingly at her sister once more.

"….Anyway keep up the good work Laffey, we'll let you know when we are finished here.

"Kayyyyy" Laffey responded while yawning cutely and saluting good-bye.

At the same time, the other three girls were reporting to their superiors as well.

{With Javelin}

"Javelin, reporting in Your Majesty!"

"Good work, We trust you, the base, and the others are well?" A young girl with long blonde flowing hair that curled into drills at the ends and had on a hairband with a crown on top inquired.

"Yes, we also were able to meet the Shikikan too!" Javelin reported excitedly before trying to calm down after remembering that she needed to try and mind her manners a bit more in front of 'Her Majesty'.

"Ohh? And what are your thoughts?"

"He's really cool!" Her excitement broke through her efforts at being mannerly easily once again. "His eyes are like super pretty crystals, he helped and treated me when I fell down, he made the most amazing fish and chips I ever had, and I even overheard him talk about how grateful and excited he was to be working with us!" Javelin practically had hearts and songs notes floating out of her head as she continued to praise the Shikikan while she twirled left and right with her hands on her cheeks.

"My…" A tall blonde lady with her hair brushed and flowing down the right side of her face commented upon hearing the destroyer's praises. She wore a white hat that was tilted to the side and had some sort of ship radar rigging accessory on top. In addition, she had on a conservative, yet elegant dress that exuded a powerful aura and somehow symbolized the faction that was the Royal Navy.

The young blonde girl was wide-eyed by Javelin's flurry of praises before gathering herself. "Ahem…We are most pleased to hear the Shikikan is of a respectable nature and are most interested in seeing him for ourselves, but alas, We are quite busy with fortifying Royal Navy territories from those blasted Sirens."

"Your Majesty, if I may, overall, fortifications are more than halfway done so we shan't need to worry, this mission shall be done before the end of the month." Another young girl with two strands of her blonde hair flowing down her sides and twirled into two spherical beads at the ends spoke up. She had a claymore sword more than half her size to her side and wore a conservative uniform albeit almost bare in regard to her lower half.

"Thank you Warspite, We are amused to hear the mission is going rather smoothly thus far. Javelin, We leave the base in your hands as the Royal Navy representative. Do pay heed in upholding the honor of the Royal Navy and remembering to send reports. With that said, you are dismissed to go about the day." Said the young girl with a queenly aura.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Javelin said before signing off.

"Your Majesty, the maids have finished readying everything for the afternoon tea party." A beautiful silver haired lady in a formal maid outfit spoke up upon hearing that Her Majesty was done listening to Javelin's report.

"Thank you Belfast, We are most parched." 'And most glad the Shikikan seems like a nice person.' The young girl said the latter in her mind feeling relieved after hearing Javelin's report.

{With Z23}

"Z23 ready to report!"

A tall lady with snow-white hair that reached just reached her shoulders responded with a nod. She wore a conservative Ironblood themed uniform topped with a short white cape and a naval cap. "Good work Zed. Has the Shikikan arrived yet?" The snow-white haired lady kept an emotionless face as she spoke.

"_Ja_, I've made contact with the Shikikan and am ready to give my report on him."

"Good, go on." The lady spoke once more this time with a hand resting on her chin that somehow exuded slight curiosity."

Z23 took a pause, before looking at the lady with a sincerely happy smile and speaking. "I've concluded that Herr Kommandant is a good human. He helped me when I was walking about the town and treated us to a very delicious lunch he made himself. He does not seem to show any form of hostility or malice towards us ship girls, but much rather the opposite. He spoke openly to Admiral Teito about how honored he felt to begin working with us to fight the Sirens. In conclusion, Herr Kommandant is a good human and personally speaking, I think he has a lot of potential."

"Ohh? How interesting." Commented a young lady with long flowing silver hair in a provocative Ironblood uniform. She had a strand of red hair on the side of her head and had on a devious smile with a finger on her lips as she spoke.

"Does he seem to have the ability to declare war Zed?" Another tall lady with wildly overflowing silver hair that reached her legs and in a reasonably conservative Ironblood uniform albeit her chest area questioned.

"Declare war? Uhm.. In regard to his commanding abilities, we haven't gone on a mission yet so I can't say for certain."

The snow-white haired lady spoke up once more, "Please report back once you've assessed Herr Kommandant's abilities as a commander. Keep up the good work Zed."

"_Ja_ ma'am." Z23 saluted before signing off.

"Hmmm, I don't think I've seen Zed smile like that before, I'm surprised..." The snow-white haired lady spoke aloud.

"Ara, curious about the Shikikan are we, Tirpitz?" The young silver haired lady teased.

Tirpitz didn't bother responding with anything more than a glare before sighing at her fellow ship's teasing nature.

"Sigh, Eugen, since fortifications and restorations of our surrounding Iron Blood territory is nearly done, you are free to either stay here and help or go back to Azur Lane base. Zeppelin, I'm afraid I can't offer you the same choice, I will need you to stay back and provide air support in case of Siren attacks.

"Hmmm, I guess I'll go see for myself what this Shikikan is like and how he managed to charm little Nimi _wink_." The young silver haired lady said with a very devious smile before sauntering away.

"Does not matter to me, for destruction is everywhere I am." The tall silver haired beauty turned around before leaving as well however, on her face was a small frown that hinted her disappointment in not being able to meet the one who made Z23 smile so brightly.

{With Ayanami}

"Ayanami reporting in"

"Thank you for your work. Are you and the others well?" A young girl with long dark black hair, fox ears, and Sakura empire shrine priestess attire asked. She seemed like a small girl, but behind her stood an arsenal of battleship rigging that was rather intimidating.

"Ayanami and the others are well. Shikikan has arrived as well."

"Ney ney, what's the Shikikan like? Is he nice? Is he cool? Is he strong? Is he smart? Is he good at commanding?" Another young girl with black hair but in bob cut like form and also in shrine priestess attire bombarded Ayanami with questions.

"Etto, Ayanami thinks Shikikan is nice and cool. He made all of us here lunch and it was very delicious _des_." Ayanami said with a large smile, surprising the two other girls, one in shock and one in wonder.

"Ayanami doesn't know much about Shikikan yet, but Ayanami knows she likes and trusts Shikikan. Ayanami doesn't know if Shikikan is good at commanding, but Ayanami will do her best to help him and protect everyone and the base." She said as she continued to praise the Shikikan.

"Very well, see to it that everyone remains safe Ayanami. The Sakura Empire territories here are almost fully restored and fortified. Once done, I will have more Sakura Empire ships join you at the base. But for now, stay safe and be sure to stay up to date with your reports to me." The young girl with long black hair commanded.

"_Hai_!" Ayanami bowed before signing off.

"Ney ney, why did Ayanami seem so happy talking about the Shikikan. I wonder why…what do you think Nagato-nee?"

"I…I think Ayanami thinks really highly of the Shikikan, despite only meeting him today. Either way, I am relieved to hear she is doing well. On another note, Kawakaze!"

"_Hai._" A young lady with long straight gray hair and fox ears in a shrine priestess variation uniform and a sharp black katana to her side responded immediately upon being called for.

"Has Takao, Atago, and Shouhou set sail for the Azur Lane base yet?"

"_Hai_, I have received word from Fusou and Yamashiro that they've departed from where they were stationed last night. They will arrive later today and will report once they make contact."

The black-haired fox girl nodded her head approvingly. 'The smile on Ayanami's face, to be able to give her such a bright smile, I look forward to meeting you Shikikan.' She thought with a small smile visible on her face.

"Ney Ney! Are you thinking about the Shikikan Nagato-nee? How come?" The other young girl with a bob cut hair asked, seemingly reading her sister's mind.

Blushing she responded, "Wha-I was not! Now Mutsu, help me with these documents!" Exclaiming with a frantic look on her face.

"_Haiiiiii_" The bob-cut haired girl replied as carefree as ever.

{Back to Shikikan}

'I think it was this way to Akashi's right?' The Shikikan was on his way to Akashi's store. He noticed a lot of Manjuus hard at work around him, but when they saw him, they stopped what they were doing and surrounded him. They seemed happy to see him and looked like they were all about to jump onto him before they heard a regal sounding 'chirp' from afar. They looked back to noticed that their Queen was approaching and stated to scatter to form a path for her. The Queen Manjuu then came up to the Shikikan and chirped happily before bowing.

The Shikikan smiled. "Thank you, your highness", The Shikikan said as he bowed a bit too.

"Chirp Chirp!" The Queen seemed to have called for her subordinates to bring something seeing as how some were pushing and pulling a large cart towards them.

"For me?" The Shikikan asked as the Manjuus chirped, seemingly saying yes.

On top of the first cart, was a letter that had a note attached saying 'To Shikikan'.

He opened the letter and read:

'Dear Shikikan,

Thank you for saving my life back at that lake and for treating us so kindly! Most humans don't treat us as kindly as equals to them as you do and for that we thank you! The Manjuus and I are forever in your debt and will be happy to work with you! Please accept these gifts as tokens of our new friendship!

Sincerely: Manjuu Queen

'The Manjuu really are amazing' The Shikikan thought in his mind. 'To think they are even able to read and write let alone understand human language and do all sorts of things humans can do too. I'm glad they are on my side to be honest.'

The Shikikan then looked at the carts and he couldn't stop the shocked expression on his face.

In the carts, were tens of thousands of gold coins, thousands of red gems, and even a briefcase with 3 wisdom cubes inside!

"Are you sure it's okay I can have all of this?" The Shikikan asked in pure disbelief.

"Chirp Chirp!" The Queen chirped happily, implying yes, before waving goodbye, to which most of the other Manjuus previously at work went back to continuing what they were doing while a few remained to seemingly help him push the cart.

"You guys are amazing." The Shikikan couldn't help but admire the incredibly intelligent beings before him. "Mind helping me push the cart to Akashi's?"

Chirp!

After pushing the cart for about ten minutes, they made it to Akashi's storefront.

"Welco-NYA!?" Akashi exclaimed as she saw the large cart of coins, gems, wisdom cubes, AND GEMS.

"Shikikan where did you get all of this nya!?"

He proceeded to hand her the letter the Manjuu queen gave him.

"Nya! You really are amazing Shikikan nya! There's about 200,000 gold coins and 3,000 gems in that cart!" Akashi, being the greedy cat she was, could tell right away how much economy was in the cart. Her eyes were turned into gems and had coins popping out of her head.

"I wasn't sure if we had a treasury, so I decided to bring the cart here. They also gave me 3 wisdom cubes, any idea what to do with them Akashi?"

"You could just leave the cart with Akashi ny-OW!" A paper fan hit her on the head before she continued.

"Don't try and trick the Shikikan you greedy cat." Shiranui said threatening to hit Akashi again if she complained. "Shikikan, the treasury is near your office building, but feel free to lighten the load before heading there ufufu." Shiranui said with a smirk.

"About the wisdom cubes though, is there a way for me to transform them here on base?"

"Nya, the dockyard is where you want to go nya. I'll be heading to the research lab next to the dockyard in about an hour, so you could follow me then after you take a look at my shop nyaaaa." Akashi looked at the Shikikan with begging eyes.

The Shikikan couldn't help but pat both adorable shop-owners heads before heading towards Akashi's store first.

"Nyaaa."

"Warm…"

The Shikikan proceeded to enter Akashi's shop first. He saw all sort of items on sale. From grocery supplies to staple household items to ammunitions and weaponry to all sorts of clothing and to so many other various things on display, her store was surely made for all intents and purposes.

'Besides stocking the fridge and getting some casual and sleep wear, maybe a weapon or two would be smart. The base seems well secured and protected, but I'd rather be safe than sorry later.' The Shikikan reasoned in his mind as he shopped.

After gathering some grocery supplies, household essentials, and some casual and sleepwear, the Shikikan went to the back of the store where the ammunition and weaponry section was to grab himself some forms of self-defense. Much to the disapproval of Dr. Sen, Victoria showed him the ropes of how to use a gun during his free time, which he apparently was a complete natural at after being able to hit bulls-eyes easily on targets Victoria had him practice on with several different rifles.

Akashi had many different guns, from pistols to assault rifles to sniper rifles, the Shikikan hesitated for a bit as he decided which one to get. After careful consideration, he grabbed himself a desert eagle that was purely silver albeit with a black grip instead of a larger gun since he thought it would be a pain to carry a larger, heavier gun around.

"Is that everything nya? If so meet me at the counter so I can ring nya up." The catgirl hummed as she spoke the entire time with cash signs for eyes.

"Yeah I think tha-….?" The Shikikan stopped before finishing his sentence as he was staring at something that caught his eye.

"Shikikan?" Akashi looked to where the he was looking and saw that he was staring in the direction of the wall of the various swords she had for sale nearby. "Nya? Interested in getting a sword too nya?" She asked in hopes of making more money.

"Yeah…" The Shikikan seemed in a trance before reaching out to grab what he was staring at. Akashi thought he would grab a katana, a broadsword, or a saber she had on display, but he ended up reaching towards the top left corner of the wall of swords in the corner of the store that seemed like it would be out of sight to most who were just browsing. He ended up grabbing a rather large broadsword that had a single sharp edge (much like a katana) and had 9 shiny silver rings jangling on the opposite end as he brought it down from its display stand. Upon closer inspection, the pommel was protruding outwards with its spherical-like shape and was seemingly golden in color, the grip was a smooth jet black and seemed long enough to be capable of functioning as both a single-handed and a two-handed sword, the guard was a flat golden circle that had spike like features protruding out of it making it look as if it was a shining star, and the blade itself was a shiny silver color and seemed well sharpened.

"Nya? I almost forgot I had that sword nya. I remember that it was found during a commission near Dragon Empery territory and was in pretty bad condition, but a swordsmith seemingly caught in a shipwreck had offered to fix it back up for free as thanks. I think he mentioned that it was heavier than what it should be, but that it would make a nice display piece regardless too nya."

"I remember seeing a late-night TV show featuring unique weapons during my time at the hospital and this looked like one of the ones shown and I think it was called a _dadao._" The Shikikan stretched out his arm with the supposedly much heavier than normal sword seemingly with ease. "For some reason though, it feels like its nothing new to me and just sort of 'fits' with me. I'm not really sure how else to explain it." The Shikikan said as he twirled the sword around in his hands and practiced light swings as if it was something he was quite used to using.

"Maybe fate wants you to buy the sword nya. I'll give it to you for a nice price for it nyaaa." Smirked the devilish catgirl.

"Well it does seem so natural in my hands, plus it would double as a form of self-defense….Yeah, I'll take it too. Ring me up Akashi?"

"Shikikan, we are going to get along well nyaa" Akashi purred happily as she rung all of his purchases. "As a sign of customer service, I'll give you the sheathe and strap for the sword for free nyaa. I don't normally do free nya, but you did make me a really good lunch and bought a lot from me today, so I'll make an exception for you today nyaaaa."

"Thanks Akashi." The Shikikan smiled lightly while patting the cat girl's head, who purred happily in response.

"I'll have the Manjuus deliver the stuff to your office Shikikan nya. Go ahead and visit Shiranui's store nyaa. Once you finish there, we can go to the docks and I'll show you how to transform the Wisdom Cubes nyaa."

The Shikikan thanked Akashi once more before stepping out and heading a few minutes down the road to Shiranui's store.

"Welcome Shikikan." Shiranui did a slight bow as she saw Shikikan enter the store.

If Akashi store was similar to that of a general store, then Shiranui's could be considered more of a specialized store. Her store was filled with books and manuals regarding all sorts of topics such as weaponry improvements, tactical skill improvements, and the like. In addition, she had boxes of different colors with the numbers 1-5 painted on the front.

"What are the boxes Shiranui?"

"Those are equipment boxes, once you buy one, you can open it and equip compatible equipment to a ship girl's rigging. The higher the number on the box, the better the gear will likely be. Each box is different and have faction related variations as well."

"Hmm…okay, could I get four of the T5 boxes then?"

"…The T5 boxes require a different form of currency Shikikan, but as I promised back in the canteen and to thank you for the meal, I'll make an exception and charge 40,000 coins for the four boxes just this once."

"Sounds good, thank you Shiranui." Shikikan said as he patted her head, who surprisingly seemed to be enjoying the warmth from his hands rather than against it.

"I'll have the boxes sent to your office by the end of the day." She said afterwards, feeling fulfilled from the head patting.

After spending some more time talking with Shiranui and learning a bit more about the stuff she was selling, the Shikikan left to go back to Akashi's and headed with her to the dockyard. The dockyard was massive in size and seemed to not have anything in production yet. Going inside, the Shikikan walked around and saw various sections dividing the large facility.

"Okay Shikikan nya, the section we are heading to is the 'Shipbuilding section' but let me tell you a bit more about the other sections." Akashi began explaining what else the facility was comprised of.

The 'Ship Repair' section was dedicated to repairing damaged ship girls, while the 'Ship maintenance' section was for refueling and resupplying them before and after missions. Akashi then pointed out that the fourth and final section was the 'Research Lab' that was located outside, but also near the dockyard.

"I'll show you around the lab after we begin Wisdom cube transformation nya."Akashi brought the Shikikan back to the Shipbuilding area, where he was brought before a high-tech looking device that had a large set of monitors and two square panels. Said devices then led out to a large area where construction seemed to take place."

"Okay nya, so Wisdom Cube transformation is actually quite easy nya. All you have to do nya is place a cube on one of the panels and poof! Construction will start immediately nya. Also, you can have up to two projects going at once and the construction bills will be sent to your office desk right after you start construction nya so make sure you have the coins nya!

"That's a lot simpler than I thought it be, but anyway, let's get started then." The Shikikan proceeded to take two of the wisdom cubes out of the briefcase and placed them on the two open panels. The cubes and the panel monitors immediately began to glow and Manjuus wearing safety hats and welding masks came out of seemingly nowhere, saluted him, and began working on the construction projects.

"It'll take a day or so to transform both cubes, but you can monitor the progress from the wristwatch Victoria gave you nya."

The Shikikan looked at the screen on his watch and noticed a gear with an exclamation on it near the edge of the screen. He tapped it and saw a timer on both projects, saying that both will take a little over a day to finish.

'Guess I'll come back a few minutes before the timers hit zero tomorrow then. In all honesty, the fact that these Manjuus, as small as they are, are capable of doing pretty much anything a person can do, if not even better. I can't seem to not always be grateful to these helpful adorable creatures.' The Shikikan thought in his mind, fascinated by the Manjuus' seemingly unlimited skill sets.

"Okay nya, would you like to see the research lab now nya?"

"Yeah let's head on out and let the Manjuus work in peace." He smiled and saluted the hard at work adorable chicks(?)/ducklings(?) before stepping out. The two exited the dockyard and proceeded to walk just shy of five minutes to a large building that had a sign out front that read 'Research Lab'.

"You'll need a key card to get in here, but don't worry I'll have your own card registered soon nya." Akashi said as she swiped the card reader, which turned from red to green and thus opening the two previously sealed shut automatic doors. Upon entering, the Shikikan saw all sorts of devices common to what would be seen in a respectable laboratory in the addition to stacks of blueprints, shelves filled various research books, archives, and documents, and many strange looking machines most likely for testing and lab purposes.

"This lab is one of the newest additions to the base thus far nya. I haven't started any serious projects or testings yet, but I have been tinkering around in here on some things in my spare time nya." Akashi pointed out while waving her arms over a desk of various gadgets the Shikikan couldn't tell what it would be used for except for one in particular. Said gadget was a pair of something similar to high tech looking metal shoes. He picked them up and noticed that they were lighter than they looked and had two small rocket thrusters near the back of the 'shoes'.

"Nya, that's just some experimentational flotational rigging I was working on nya. It's still nyawhere near ready for testing though nya."

"You're one smart repair ship Akashi." The Shikikan said while patting her head.

"Nyaaaaa…..Wait!...Don't think praising me will get you any discounts at my store…..ehehe…..nyaaa". Akashi tried to fight against the urge to enjoy the head patting but ultimately failed.

After looking around a bit more while Akashi was seemingly doing some tinkering, the Shikikan noticed a file in particular on the bookshelf that when he opened read 'PR blueprints'. The file was albeit empty except a small excerpt discussing the possibility of artificially creating new ship girls using the Wisdom cubes in the future.

"Hmm….I wonder if I'll get a chance to work on this project, since it seems like it would help me get a better understanding of the ship girls.' The Shikikan thought in his mind.

"Okay all set nya!" Akashi said as she walked over and handed a card to the Shikikan.

"Here's your key card I mentioned earlier nya. It's all registered and you'll have full access here whenever you want nya."

"Thanks Akashi" He said seemingly unable to stop patting the adorable cat girl's head, much to her noticeable enjoyment. "Shall we head on back?" He asked after getting his fill of Akashi head pats.

"_Hai _nya."

As he and Akashi exited the lab and soon enough the dockyard, a familiar voice called out to them.

"Herr Kommandant!"

The Shikikan looked out in front of him to see the starter squad running towards him and Akashi.

"Hi girls, finished with your reports?"

"Yep! But wait no Shikikan! There's a big issue!" Javelin said frantically.

"What's wrong?"

"Distress signal was received 35 nautical miles out towards the East _des_." Ayanami clarified.

"Okay any idea from who sent it?" The Shikikan's face turned serious upon hearing this.

"No, but Laffey thinks we should go help." Laffey said with an uncharacteristic serious tone and expression.

"Your orders _Herr Kommandant_?"

"Girls prepare to set sail." He said without any hint of hesitation in his voice.

The starter squad and Akashi couldn't help but smile in agreeance at him. "Yes sir!" The girls then ran out and began preparing to set sail.

"Shikikan nya, I haven't gotten the chance to tell you yet, but you have a command ship that you can use to travel with the girls. It's armed with a Single 127mm (SK C/34) and a 37mm AA Gun (Flak M42) for safety measures too nya."

"Thanks Akashi, I'll take you up on that offer."

'Might also be for the best to get some combat experience and see what the girls are capable of too' The Shikikan thought additionally.

"Okay I'll show you to it nya"

Before they started walking the Shikikan had a sudden thought pop up in his head.

"Hey Akashi, could I ask you for a few favors?"

"What is it nya?" The cat-girl asked questionably while tilting her head.

_{Back to the starter squad}_

Javelin, Laffey, Ayanami, and Z23 were in the ship maintenance section of the dockyard, or more specifically, in the ammo storage area with Shiranui.

"Alright everyone, now its our chance to show the Shikikan what we can do!" Z23 proclaimed. 'I hope I do well enough that he'll praise me!' She thought in her head afterwards with a small blush visible on her face as she was grabbing ammunition for herself.

"Hmm Nimi, your face is red." Javelin said before a playful smirk appeared on her face. "Are you thinking of ways to impress the Shikikan maybe hmm?" She asked teasingly.

"N-NO! I'm just uh…excited that we are on a mission. T-that's all!"

"Hehehe, I'm just kidding Nimi, I'm hoping the Shikikan praises me if I do a good job too hehe." Javelin said boldly with a small blush.

"Laffey wants head pats." Laffey said as she huffed cutely, determination apparent in her eyes in addition to a slight sleepy look.

"M-me too" Ayanami said with an uncharacteristic embarrassed look on her face as she looked away from her friends with a large blush being very noticeable on her face.

The others were surprised to see Ayanami have such an embarrassed look on her face, but they all soon began giggle in unison soon after.

"Looks like we all thought the same thing hehe." Javelin said after calming down a bit.

Shiranui, overhearing the whole conversation, had a small albeit devious smirk on her face.

"Are you girls ready? I just got word from Akashi that the Shikikan is just about ready to leave in his command boat. Also since you all seemed to all have the same thing in mind how about this: Whoever does the best job gets a head pat from the Shikikan?" Shiranui said, essentially throwing fuel to the fire.

The girls all perked up upon hearing this and after a few seconds….

"Javelin, heading out!" She said as she dashed out towards her ship.

"Wait! Javelin that's not fair!" Z23 exclaimed as she dashed after her.

"Face the power of the demon" Ayanami stated and was off.

"Self-imposed limiters…release!" Laffey last but not least sped off as well.

"Ufufu, this should be interesting." Shiranui said as she saw the girls off with a devious smirk.

{Back to the Shikikan}

The Shikikan stood in front of the harbor where his command boat was just finished being quickly inspected and supplied with fuel and ammo by Manjuus wearing naval hats. His command ship was a respectably large white ship with a black underside and the Azur Lane emblem on both sides of the ship. The command room at the tallest point in the center, the main cannon near the bow just below the command room, and the AA gun near the stern. The Shikikan was taught by Victoria how to steer a boat, but it seemed that the Manjuus would be steering while he just oversaw the whole operation. After a few more minutes, the Manjuus lined up in front of him and saluted, suggesting they were ready to commence.

"Shikikan! We're ready to commence the rescue mission!" Javelin shouted as she steered towards him with the other girls in tow, all seemingly equipped with their riggings.

"Ayanami how come you have a sword and Javelin how come you have well...a javelin?" The Shikikan asked seeing her hold the large weapon in her hands.

"It's for combat silly Shikikan hehe" Javelin said teasingly as if it was common knowledge for ship girls to wield melee weapons.

"Looks like I have a lot to learn about you girls" The Shikikan smiled lightly while scratching his head. He then took a deep breath before putting on a serious face.

"Alright girls, let's commence the rescue mission!" He stated before signaling to the Manjuus to set sail towards the distress signal.

"Yes sir!" They all replied immediately before following him.

The Shikikan had the desert eagle he bought from Akashi in a gun holster to his side and his nine ringed dadao sheathed and strapped onto his back.

'I'm not sure if I'll even use these weapons, but better safe than sorry.' The Shikikan reasoned as he and the girls sailed out.

Back on the base at the end of the dockyard

"Think they'll be fine?" Asked Shiranui.

"The Shikikan might be new but I get a sense that he's a reliable commander nya." Akashi responded with confidence.

"True, I guess I got that sense from him too. By the way, the thing you gave to Shikikan, was that…?"

"I'll tell you about it on our way back to the shops, let's go nya. The Shikikan gave us quite a bit of work to do while they are off nya." Akashi said as started to walk back.

"Looks like things are about to get busy…and interesting too." Shiranui said the latter with a small smile before following after Akashi.

After about an hour of sailing towards the signal…

'According to the radar, the signal should be about ten minutes away.' The Shikikan thought as he stood in front on a set of monitors in the command room of his personal command ship. 'Alright, breathe in, breathe out. Need to stay sharp and be ready for anything.' He opened his eyes again after closing them to gather himself.

"Alright Manjuus, stop the ship here please."

_Chirp!_ The ship stopped while the girls floated towards the front of his ship.

"Alright girls, we are a few minutes out, stay sharp and be ready for anything. I'm going to stop and try to oversee everything from here. Keep in touch and let me know if anything at all seems strange. Z23, I'm leaving you in charge. Stay in a circle formation with you in the back, Laffey towards the front, Javelin to the left, and Ayanami on the right okay? Good luck!"

"Yessir!" The girls saluted him before sailing off towards the signal.

From the command room, the Shikikan was able to have a top down view of the surrounding area and saw the starter squad advancing towards the signal. 'I can practically hear Victoria scolding me for diving headfirst into this without considering that this is a trap, but I just can't shake the feeling that it just isn't one. Let's just hope it was smart to trust my guts for this first mission.' He thought as he calmed his mind.

_{With the starter squad}_

In the circle formation planned out by the Shikikan, the girls advanced cautiously to the distress signal.

"So much debris everywhere…" Z23 said out loud as saw that their surroundings were filled with destroyed ships, smoke, and fires.

"Siren shipwrecks…someone must've encountered them and had to signal for help" Ayanami hypothesized as she saw the familiar looking enemy ships up in smoke and flames.

"I hope they are okay…" Javelin couldn't help but worry about whether or not they were too late.

"Signal is getting stronger… over here" Laffey said as pointed to where an unfamiliar looking ship in horrible shape was.

Upon arrival, the girls jumped up to the ship deck and began searching around the very damaged ship.

"Is anyone here!? We received a distress signal and are here to help!" Javelin yelled, to which no one replied.

"Stick together everyone, who knows what may happen." Z23 instructed.

The girls proceeded cautiously until they reached the stern of the ship where they saw something out of place. Under a makeshift canopy, two young girls were huddled together. They were covered in cuts, smoke, and burns while their clothes were also in tatters and seemingly drenched. The two unknown girls were huddled together, shivering, and on edge.

"Are you the ones who sent the distress signal?" Z23 asked cautiously.

The two girls looked up and noticed the four girls in front of them.

"W-who are you?" The one with brunette hair in twin tails and in red oriental clothing asked. She seemed quite scared and clutching the hands of the other girl next to her closely .

"Are you okay?" Javelin asked. Concerned about their injuries, she took a step closer..

"S-stop! We w-won't fall for your tricks!" The other girl with black hair loops and purple oriental clothing exclaimed before cruiser ship rigging appeared around her and pointed her cannons at the starter squad, causing Javelin to stop immediately. Much like the other similar looking girl, she also seemed scared but was able to maintain herself.

"P-please calm down, we are from Azur Lane and came to help whoever sent the distress signal we received." Z23 said as she tried to reason with them.

After a few seconds of standstill, Laffey stowed away her rigging before approaching them. The two girls watched her carefully as she came closer. About a foot away, Laffey reached into her sweater and pulled out two bottles of oxy-colas that she then handed to the two girls.

"Thirsty?" The bunny eared girl asked.

The two girls hesitated for a second before looking at each other. They then nodded their heads before they both reached out to each grab a bottle. The tension seemed to have vanished completely once the two girls began chugging the oxy-colas.

"Whew…." Javelin sighed in relief.

"I am Laffey, this is Javelin, Z23, and Ayanami." She said, introducing herself and her friends.

"I am Ning Hai of the Dragon Empery, this here is Ping Hai, my little sister.'

"What happened here?" Z23 asked as the other three girls came closer to Laffey and the other two girls.

Ning Hai finished her drink before speaking again. "Haaa…ahem we were on route to complete a mission, but then Siren ships came out of nowhere and ambushed us.

"We managed to beat them, but then we were hit by a sneak attack by a few more that were hidden until then." Ping Hai added.

"Would you like to come back with us to the Azur Lane base? We can treat your wounds better there." Javelin asked.

"Azur Lane? Nee-chan isn't that where we're heading to?"

"…..OH! I thought that sounded familiar." Ning Hai said with a hand on her chin in sudden realization. The other girls, excluding Ping Hai and Laffey had a sweat drop run down the back of their heads.

After confirming that they were allies, Ayanami then turned on her radio. "Shikikan, this is Ayanami. We've discovered two injured ship girls from the Dragon Empery who were attacked by Siren ships Over.

"Good work Ayanami. How bad are their injuries Over?"

Ayanami looked over to the girls, in which they responded with a thumbs up.

"They have sustained some light injuries, but they say that they are fine otherwise _des.._.Over."

"Copy that, but regardless, I'll have a rescue team sent to retrieve them Over and Out."

The starter squad smiled as they were reminded again of what made them like the Shikikan so quickly. Ning Hai had a light blush on her face upon hearing him, while Ping Hai was enjoying the rest of her oxy-cola.

BOOM! The sea around them exploded from surprise cannon fire.

"Ehhhh?" Javelin shrieked in surprise.

"Two enemy ships detected!" Ayanami said as she looked in the direction of where the cannon fire was shot, seeing that there were two Siren battleships firing at them."

"Darn….I thought we were able to shake them off.." Ning Hai said with regret.

"Nee-chan what do we do?"

"We fight and show them to not mess with the Dragon Empery!" Ning Hai exclaimed as she tried to get up, only to drop to one knee while clutching her side in noticeable pain.

"Nee-chan!" Ping Hai said worried as she tried to reach to her sister but then felt pain in her arms in doing so.

"Don't push yourselves! We can handle them!" Z23 chastised the two girls out of pure concern.

"Shikikan!" Javelin exclaimed in her radio.

"Girls! Are you okay!? I've picked up three large signals towards the Northeast heading your way and I saw explosions around where you all are.

"We are fine but-!" Z23 started to say as she looked over to the two injured girls.

"Don't worry! The rescue team should be there soon. Can you girls provide cover fire for them until they get the injured out?"

"Yessir!" The girls exclaimed.

_Chirp Chirp!_

"Manjuus are here!" Laffey said as she saw a boat with Manjuus wearing naval hats and nurse caps on board just below the damaged ship.

'He's so reliable!' Z23 thought before shaking her head. "Laffey, Javelin! Help Ning Hai and Ping Hai onto the rescue boat! Ayanami and I will cover you!"

"On it!" Laffey had Ping Hai leaning on her shoulder while Javelin had Ning Hai in the same position before jumping off the ship.

"Sorry for the troubles.." Ning Hai said feeling ashamed.

"Friends help friends. It's okay." Laffey said, causing the girl to look up in surprise.

"Yeah! It's what friends are for!" Javelin added while looking at her with a dazzling smile.

The two were handed over to the rescue team who saluted Javelin and Laffey seemingly saying 'Good work and Good luck!' before immediately sailing away back to the command ship and treating the two Dragon Empery girls' wounds.

On the rescue boat, Ping Hai spoke up.

"Nee-chan, they seem nice and even called us friends!"

"Yeah." Ning Hai smiled as she looked back at the two destroyers in their riggings preparing to fight in their place. "Ping Hai! Let's do everything we can to pay them back for saving us!"

"_Shì _Nee-chan!" Ping Hai responded happily.

_{With the Shikikan}_

'Battleships huh? I trust the girls' abilities but still this might be tricky.' The Shikikan thought while assessing the situation through the monitors. 'Hmm, okay so there are some mountainous areas north-northeast and southeast from where the girls are.' He said while looking at the terrain nearby on one monitor.

"Alright, Manjuus, tell the rescue team to get to safety and steer the ship northeast, we are going battleship hunting." The Shikikan commanded to which the Manjuus responded by donning their battle faces and began steering.

_{Back to the starter squad}_

"Oyyy Ayanami! Nimi!" Javelin called out as she and Laffey approached them, ready to help.

"Ping Hai and Ning Hai are on their way to the Shikikan." Laffey filled the other two destroyers in.

"Good to hear, but we have an issue…" Z23 said as she looked back to the battleships.

"Hhhnnnn….can we win against battleships?" Javelin said sounding nervous and worried.

BOOM! One of the Siren battleships forward main battery seemingly exploded. Not very long after, the other battleship's main battery exploded as well.

The girls looked shocked before noticing a ship in the Northeast.

"Wait….is that….SHIKIKAN!?" Z23 exclaimed.

"EHHHHHHHHH!?" Javelin could only yell in shock, while the other two were wide eyed and unable to find the ability to speak.

"Girls! I have a plan, but I'm going to need you to trust me!" The Shikikan asked into the radio.

The girls looked at each other before nodding.

"What are your orders _Herr Kommandant_?" Z23 asked.

The Shikikan couldn't help but smile a bit after hearing that they trust him. "Alright, there are some mountainous areas north-northeast and southeast from where you girls are. I need you to form pairs of two and lure the enemy ships towards them. Once they crash into a mountain, barrage the mountains with your guns and crush the battleships with the falling rocks. After that, put enough holes into the ship and force it into the bottom of the sea. I have four smokescreen shots available on my ship that I'm going to try to and shoot at the bridges of both ships, blinding them. I'm sure these are just self-controlled battleships, so they'll just move and shoot at wherever they are taking damage from. What do you girls think?"

The girls heard the Shikikan's rather bold plan to overcome two battleships with four destroyers and a regular ship that was lightly armed and thought it was ludicrous, but they decided to put their trust in him.

"I will do as Shikikan commands." Ayanami was the first to respond.

"Laffey self-imposed limiters released." Laffey said ready to fight.

"I trust you Shikikan!" Javelin said with an honest smile on her face.

"There are a lot of things about this plan that I'm not too sure about, but I am willing to place that aside for now and trust your thinking _Herr Kommandant._" Z23 said, a smile apparent on her face as well.

The Shikikan smiled once more hearing how much they trust him. "Thank you, girls. Alright Laffey, Z23 head southeast while shooting at the sides of the battleship on the right. Javelin, Ayanami, head north north-east and do the same for the battleship on the left. Let's show them the power of destroyers!"

"Yessir" The girls said as they began to execute the plan.

'Okay, now to focus.' The Shikikan thought as he prepared to manually control his command ship's one cannon. 'Okay the smokescreen rounds are loaded. A single 127mm (SK C/34) cannon can shoot up to about 19,000 yards away. Also need to adjust the trajectory and take account for wind variables for both enemy ships.' The Shikikan was carefully and quickly taking aim at the battleships.

'Alright, that should do it. Ready, aim, and….FIRE!' The Shikikan shot the first smokescreen round, which soared through the sky and much like a sniper, he hit the bridge of the first battleship dead on. 'Alright now for a second shot for assurance.' He adjusted, aimed, and fired once more, showing off his accuracy and precision prowess by hitting the same spot once more, releasing massive amounts of smoke into the battleship. He continued by taking aim at the other ship and landing both shots perfectly into the bridge practically covering the battleship in smoke.

"Wow! Shikikan is amazing!" Javelin had sparkles in her eyes seeing how the Shikikan was landing shot after shot perfectly.

Ayanami was just as amazed, her eyes shimmering in awe. "Javelin, let's proceed with the plan Shikikan gave us!"

"Yeah!"

{At the same time….}

"How is _Herr Kommandant_ landing round after round so perfectly!?" Z23 exclaimed at the Shikikan's abilities.

"Nimi, let's go." Laffey said feeling determined to not be outdone.

"Eh?-I mean yeah!"

{To the Shikikan once more}

'Okay so the area Z23 and Laffey are heading is much more mountainous with much than where Javelin and Ayanami are headed. And if I remember correctly, Z23 and Laffey have stronger main guns equipped as of right now so they should be able to barrage the mountain effectively. That said, I should go support Javelin and Ayanami since even though they have good torpedo equipment equipped, they might not have enough fire power to effectively barrage the mountain with their guns.' The Shikikan was carefully planning his next steps to ensure a success before making his decision and moving out.

With Z23 and Laffey, they were heavily barraging their battleship all while dodging the battleship's remaining firepower and luring it to where the Shikikan told them to go.

"It's….actually working!" Z23 exclaimed.

"Nimi, Laffey sees mountains."

"Okay let's go further on ahead before attacking it more!"

"Okayyy"

The girls advanced further until they reached an extremely tall, yet skinny mountain. They chose that mountain to use for the plan before splitting up and beginning to barrage the ship again with gunfire and torpedoes. The battleship was like a bull seeing a red cape, charging forward in a desperate attempt to fight back. All according to plan, the ship crashed into the mountain and was forced to halt.

"Good condition….Let's go." Laffey said before she and Z23 began barraging the mountain. Since the mountain was rather skinny, it acted like a tree a lumberjack had cut down and fell all at once onto the ship. Unable to withstand the weight and force of the falling mountain. The ship exploded before sinking towards the ocean floor.

"That…that worked out even better than I thought! We didn't even need to empty our ammo to sink it!" Z23 was thrilled to see for herself that the Shikikan's plan was a success.

Laffey came up to Z23 and put a hand up, to which Z23 happily high-fived with a smile.

"Alright, let's go to where Ayanami and Javelin are Laffey!"

"Yawnnnn…...sleepyyy…but okayyy." Laffey said tiredly but noticeably happy that the plan was a huge success for them.

With Ayanami, Javelin, and the Shikikan, they managed to lure the battleship all the way to a massive mountain range.

"Alright girls, advance further ahead and force that ship to a halt!"

"Yessir" The girls proceeded as planned and lured the battleship to crash straight into the mountain range, forcing it to a halt.

"Alright, let 'em have it!" Proclaimed the Shikikan as he fired shots at the mountain, forcing large boulders to come raining down onto the battleship.

"The power of the demon….come feel it!" Ayanami launched her torpedoes at the side of the ship, dealing massive damage to the hull, forcing water to flood in rapidly.

"Witness Javelin's performance!" She said as she barraged the mountain causing more boulders to crash down and firing off her torpedoes as well, making the battleship take in twice the flood damage now.

The combination of the two destroyer girls' firepower and torpedoes and the massive boulders crashing down onto the battleship caused it to explode before slowly sinking into the sea.

"Shikikan! It worked perfectly!" Javelin said as she skated towards the Shikikan's ship.

"Good work girls! I'm honestly glad it all worked out." The Shikikan said with a sigh of relief and a smile on his face.

"Shikikan…congratulations on the success." Ayanami said as she gave the Shikikan a warm smile.

"It was thanks to you girls' trusting me and your hard work that made it a success. Thank you as well." The Shikikan responded happily.

BOOM!

The battleship fired one last, desperate shot into the air as it finally sunk into the sea completely, but not before the shot it fired crashed into the mountain range causing a gigantic boulder to come crashing down onto….AYANAMI!?

Everything went into slow motion…

Javelin looked on in horror before making a mad dash to save her friend from being crushed, but she was so far away…

Ayanami looked up in confusion and shock, unable to move as her life seemed to begin to flash before her eyes. She closed her eyes before tilting her head back down and disengaging her gear to look at Javelin and Shikikan with a smile.

"Thank you for everything Javelin, Shikikan. Please tell everyone in the Sakura Empire, Nimi, and Laffey that I am sorry and that I cherished all of them deeply. Goodbye." She said with a sad smile and tears falling down.

"Ayanami-chan!" Javelin shrieked as she stuck her hand out in a last-ditch attempt to save her dear friend.

"Ayanami!" The Shikikan was running off the bow of the command ship screaming her name as well.

Ayanami closed her eyes once more, waiting for her impending demise.

CRASHH!

She waited…

And waited…

….?

"Eh?" Ayanami scared to open her eyes, slowly lifting them to see that she was no longer where she was once standing, let alone on her own two feet. She looked up and noticed that she was in someone's arms. The sunlight shining brightly through the gap in the mountain range caused by the Shikikan's plan prevented her from seeing who saved her.

"Ayanami…Are you hurt?"

"Eh" She rubbed her eyes, finally adjusting to the bright light. Upon closer inspection into the person's face, she looked at said person wide eyed in pure shock and utter confusion once she realized who it was.

It was….….

SHIKIKAN?

* * *

Flashback

"Hey Akashi could I ask you for a favor?"

"Nya? What is it nya?"

"Could I borrow the experimentational flotational rigging you were working on in the lab?"

"Sure, but why nya?"

"I can't help but feel that it might come in handy today. Plus, you haven't tested it right? It might be nice to see how well it does now and see what needs to be improved , don't you think?"

"Good point nya, I'll go get it and meet you at the dockyard nya"

End of flashback

* * *

Using Akashi's gadget, the Shikikan managed to make a mad dash for Ayanami with the gadget attached to his feet. Luckily, the gadget worked well enough for Shikikan to manage to burst his way through to close the distance between him and Ayanami.

"S—Shik-Shikikan?" Ayanami tried to say all while trying to prevent her tears from pouring out.

He had held her in a princess carry the entire time, but seeing that Ayanami was about to cry, he brought her closer to his chest and held her there, caringly and lovingly.

"It's okay, let it all out Ayanami. It must have been scary huh? Don't worry though. All that matters to me right now is that you are safe and sound." The Shikikan spoke honestly from the bottom of his heart as he held her in his arms.

At that moment, Ayanami had burst into tears and was crying wholeheartedly into his chest.

Javelin couldn't believe what she saw as she fell down onto her knees and tears uncontrollably falling down her face, before she started crying too.

"I—I'm so glad you're okay A-aya-Ayanami-chan!" She tried to say while sobbing uncontrollably, feeling nothing more than relief seeing her friend alive and well.

* * *

**Did y'all think I would kill off a top tier waifu, let alone this early into the story lol?**

**In all honesty though, I'm hoping y'all are enjoying this story of mine as much as I enjoy writing it. **

**I initially planned to make this chapter longer, but I felt that ending it on this happy note is much better than continuing it.**

**With all that said and done, please leave favs, follows, and comments to let me know if you like the story so far!**

**Tune in next time for Chapter 5: The Four Factions Assemble!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: The Four Factions Assemble (Part 1) **

**Hey y'all! I'm back with another chapter! To my EN server comrades, how goes the start to PR2 farming? I started with mama FdG and just need 80% more on her 2.4M exp grind before she's ready. **

**Back to the story, some of you have expressed their concerns on the Shikikan being a bit OP. The reason why I was worried about splitting this chapter up a bit was due to this happening, but I probably should've clarified to not worry regardless in the last chapter. So with that said, rest assured y'all, the shipfu waifus will forever outclass him, especially in the strength department. Also, some of the shipfu waifus will seem a bit OC in this chapter for the sake of the story so keep that in mind if it does seem a bit uncharacteristic. With that out of the way, let's move on to this chapter!**

* * *

"We do have a lot in common. The same air, the same Earth, the same sky. Maybe if we started looking at what's the same instead of always looking at what's different, ...well, who knows?" ― **Meowth (Pokemon: The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back, Pokemon franchise)**

* * *

"Are you okay Ayanami?" The Shikikan asked after making a mad dash to save her thanks to Akashi's prototype flotational gadget. His legs were feeling quite wobbly and weakened due to the force the gadget exerted on them during his dash, making it difficult to even stand up.

Managing to calm down and compose herself, she spoke. "_Hai_ Shikikan, and it's all thanks to you." She said with a bright happy smile as she enjoyed being held so dearly in his arms.

{Meanwhile…}

"Ney Takao-chan, what do you think the commander will be like?" A young woman with long flowing black hair that had two animal-like ears on her head and dressed in a white naval uniform asked. She and two other yet-known figures had ship girl rigging out and were currently sailing away from their Sakura Empire homeland.

"Hard to say, Nagato-sama herself said that the information she received about him was rather bleak and didn't say much about him other than that he was a graduate from the now gone World Maritime Naval Academy." Another woman also dressed in a white naval uniform and had her long black hair tied in a ponytail thanks to an elegant looking white ribbon replied.

"I just hope he's got a good head on his shoulders"…'And doesn't treat me like a child…'. A young girl with short white hair dressed in a traditional-looking Japanese robe added her two cents. "Hmmm? Takao! Atago! My planes have picked up signs of someone fighting Siren ships in the north-north west area!"

"What do you say Takao-chan?"

"…..We should go and help. Let's go."

Following her lead, the other two figures followed after her. Not much after, they saw signs of Siren ship wreckage, but no signs of friendlies.

"Ara, looks like they were able to put some of the Siren ships down themselves."

"I'm not seeing anyone, what about your planes Shouhou?"

"Nothing ye-wait! I've picked up two ship girls fighting a Siren battleship near the mountain range up ahead!"

"Let's go!" The young woman with her hair in a ponytail exclaimed before dashing towards where the young girl pointed out.

The area they reached was cover in rather thick smoke, seemingly caused by all the fighting and gunfire.

"Ara? Is that…?" The young woman with her black hair flowing freely said before taking a closer look, "….Ayanami-chan?"

"Ayanami is the one fighting?" The young woman with a ponytail replied before squinting in the direction the other woman was looking at. "Wait…is she in someone's arms? And isn't that her friend from the Royal Navy?" She said out-loud, trying to get a better look.

"I can't see anything throw the smoke and neither can my planes."

"Wait….Ayanami-chan's friend is kneeling down and…crying?"

"Huh?" The young woman with a ponytail was squinting really hard trying to see. "Ayanami is crying too!? Curse all this smoke, I can't make out anything! Wait…why is that person holding her smiling? Is he an enemy!?" She said sounding alarmed before making launching herself towards Ayanami.

"Huh!? Wait Takao-chan!" "Takao!? Where are you going?" The two other girls said out of surprise.

"Swift death unto evil!" The one with a ponytail declared as she unsheathed the katana by her side.

{Back to Shikikan, Ayanami, and Javelin}

'Good thing I asked Akashi for her gadget. It did a number on my legs from the sheer force, but it's a small price to pay for Ayanami's safety. That said, it sure is smoky around here, I can barely even see ten feet away. ' The Shikikan sighed.

"Swift death unto evil!"

The Shikikan looked to his right and was able to make out a figure of someone jumping high into the air with a katana about to swing down on…him!?

Time, once again, felt like it was slowed down.

Ayanami, not able to make out the figure either due to the smoke, quickly jumped out of the Shikikan's arms and engaged her rigging and her sword just in time to stop the heavy blade about to crash down on the Shikikan.

Thinking on his own two fatigued feet, he quickly pulled out his nine-ringed dadao and braced himself for the incoming blade with Ayanami.

The force from the clash of blades was strong enough to cause ripples on the water around the Shikikan and Ayanami, clearing most of the surrounding smoke and debris in the air.

'So strong! Ugh' The Shikikan was shocked at the force that came down upon him. Even though he had Ayanami's help, the force was strong enough to make his arms feel like they were in danger of shattering.

After the powerful sword clash, it took Ayanami a second to realize who it was that attacked them.

"Takao-san!? Why are you attacking the Shikikan!?" She exclaimed.

"Eh? Wait…this is the Shikikan!?" The attacked seemed genuinely surprised.

"Ey!" Javelin shouted before thrusting her javelin at the attacker, who immediately jumped backwards.

Javelin was about to continue her attack before she noticed the familiar face. "Wait, you're from the Sakura Empire!"

"Takao-chan!" "Takao!" Two other figures appeared before rushing besides the attacker.

"Atago-san? Shouhou? Why are you all here?" Ayanami asked seemingly confused.

"Ayanami! You're okay!" The young girl who just appeared exclaimed in relief upon seeing Ayanami.

"I could ask the same to you Ayanami-chan. Also who is that next to you?" The other young lady who appeared asked.

After a few minutes of clearing the confusion….

"I-I am so sorry Shikikan! Please forgive this lowly Takao for her reckless and insubordinate behavior!" The young woman now known as Takao exclaimed while in a dogeza position, her face red with embarrassment, guilt, and regret.

"Sigh Takao-chan…You should've listened to me when I said to rest after all those missions we had to do, now look at what you've gotten yourself into." The young woman who appeared besides Takao was now known as Atago, her sister ship, said a with a tired expression and a hand to her head.

"Well at least no one's hurt haha….." The young girl named Shouhou said, trying to ease the situation a bit.

"Um, you don't have to go that far….It's okay, really! I probably would've done the same if I saw someone important to me seemingly in trouble too. I'm glad you care for your friends and I promise that I won't hold this against you ever." The Shikikan said, also trying to calm down the embarrassed and guilt-ridden girl bowing down to him and apologizing frantically.

"I sincerely thank you for your mercy! I swear on my honor to make it up to you by serving as your shield and sword henceforth Shikikan!" Takao announced while bowing deeply in sincere gratitude.

Unsure of what to say from Takao's 'display', he decided to just go along with it. "I look forward to working with you uhm...Takao right?" The Shikikan said with a light smile before moving over to offer her a hand up.

Unfortunately though, it seemed that Akashi's gadget had hit its limits and began to sputter mid-step before eventually dying on him. With the one thing allowing him to not sink into the sea now out of commission, he began to sink.

"Whoa!" He said as he was half-submerged into the water. Thankfully Takao was able to quickly grab the Shikikan by his arms before lifting him up out of the water and off his feet.

'She picked me off the ground as if I weighed less than a pillow. I'd better make sure to stay on the ship-girls good sides….I'd hate to be on the receiving end of their superhuman strength afterall…' He pondered as he was slowly being brought into a princess carry in Takao's arms.

"Ahaha…thank you for that, but this is a little…" He started to say with an embarrassed flush on his face.

"Do not fret Shikikan, you weigh nothing at all compared to my rigging." Takao said assuring him with a small, yet sincere smile.

"Ara Shikikan, your face is all red, how cute _wink_." Atago said, teasing the noticeably embarrassed Shikikan.

Putting his sweater hoodie on to cover his face, he asked, "C-could you bring me back to the ship over there please?"

"Araaa, I think we are going to get along well Shikikannn." Atago said with a mischievous and happy look as she continued to tease him.

"Ahaaa…Go easy on him Atago…." Shouhou couldn't bring herself to not feel pity for her new commander.

'God this is embarrassing….but I'll still take this over Sirens any day though…' Shikikan said in his mind as he was being carried off.

Finally being dropped off at his boat, he radioed the recue boat with the Dragon Empery sisters on board, Z23, and Laffey to relocate to his position. In less than a minute, he spotted the boat, with the two girls bandaged up and sound asleep in each other's arms.

'Wow that's cute' He thought as he saw the girls before shaking his head to get back to the task at hand. He had the Manjuus bring them to the medical room onboard his ship and had them rest there as they sailed back to base.

"Alright everyone, job well done! Let's head back to base, but would you girls like to join me on the ship instead of going on foot? I'm sure you all must be exhausted from all the fighting you just did."

Laffey immediately jumped aboard his ship. "Sleeppyyy, goodnighttt." She said before she found herself a comfortable and shady spot and fell asleep immediately.

"Oy Laffey! It's not healthy to-yawnnnn….?...!." Z23 began to say before she started yawning. "S-sorry for the childish display S-Shikikan, I didn't…I mean I…." She was flustered because she didn't want the Shikikan to think of her as a child.

"Hehe….we have been up since sunrise, so a nap does sound nice right now. What do you say Nimi? Ayanami?" Javelin asked before joining Laffey in the shaded spot.

Ayanami and Z23 looked at Shikikan for guidance, who replied with a smile. "You girls have done a great job today and have earned a nice long rest. Go ahead." He said all while smiling and gesturing them to go join the two fast asleep destroyers.

"I-If you say so _Herr Kommandant…"_ Z23 then joined the other two before closing her eyes and letting sleep take over.

Ayanami instead went over to stand before the Shikikan, giving him a bow. "Thank you again for saving me Shikikan."

Patting her head in response, he replied, "Don't mention it Ayanami. I'm just glad I made it in time. It'll be a while until we get back to base so go ahead and join them."

"_Hai_" She said with a happy smile before joining the now three in total asleep destroyers. She thought about the warmth and kindness she felt from the Shikikan's head-pat before falling asleep next to the other girls with a blissful smile on her face.

'They really are just normal girls.' The Shikikan thought as he looked on at the fast-asleep starter squad. 'I'm really glad I made it here.' He was really happy to be safe and alive, and felt that he was quickly getting better the more time he spent with the girls. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of the four adorable young girls asleep next to each, looking so calm and peaceful.

"Ara Shikikan, it's not polite to stare at sleeping girls you knowwww."

He turned around and noticed that Atago had someone managed to get behind him without a sound.

"Sorry about that ahaaa…" He said with an awkward laugh while rubbing his head.

Atago giggled in response. "I'm just joking Shikikan, they really are cute when they're all asleep together like that."

"Shikikan, I'll scout ahead and make sure our path back is clear." Takao who was by the bow of the ship said before advancing ahead.

"I'll join you Takao. See you back at base Atago! Shikikan!" Shouhou said before following after her.

"Hey Atago, didn't you say that you and Takao were really busy with missions and didn't have much rest?"

"_Hai,_ but Takao-chan is just like that, an honest-to-a-fault hard working girl. She ends up worrying Onee-san quite a bit you know?" Atago sighed as she saw the two off.

"…You're a really good sister huh Atago? I'm sure Takao works hard knowing that she has you by her side. At least, that's what I think I would feel if I was in her position ahaha..." The Shikikan said with a smile before turning to look at Atago.

The Shikikan didn't notice it due to all the commotion before and now, but he missed several notifications on his watch that all read 'Affinity up!' followed by the names of the ship girls except for the three notifications that read 'New ship girl acquired!'. The newest one that just popped up was another 'Affinity up', but this time it had a '+10' next to Atago's name.

"Ara Ara Shikikan, Onee-san doesn't mind doting on you too you know?" Atago said before grabbing one of the Shikikan's arms and pressing it to her chest with a very happy smile on her face. "Come, Onee-san wants to learn all about you _Shi-ki-kannn wink_." She tugged on his arm before escorting him off towards inside the ship. Shikikan wasn't able to resist for 3 reasons: Her grip was unbreakable, the soft sensation on his arm was pure bliss, and he too wanted to learn more about the Atago. Unfortunately, his trance was broken when he felt something looking at him from behind. He glanced back towards the sky, but found nothing.

"Shikikan?" Atago noticed him turn his head

"Hmm? Oh, its nothing, I thought I saw something. But anyway, could you tell me about yourself, Takao, and the Sakura Empire? I'd love to learn more all about it."

"_Hai_, with pleasure Shikikan." Atago said before they both disappeared into the ship.

Meanwhile, camouflaged into the sky was a small black spy drone that had an eerie yellow glow...

Through the camera on the drone, was a very pale girl with long, wild white hair and glowing yellow eyes. "Found youuuuuuuuu. Arbiter will be quite pleased eheheee…" Said girl spoke aloud before having the drone come back.

Back to the Shikikan, it has been a little over an hour since they started sailing back to the base. He learned a lot about Atago, her sisters, and the Sakura Empire during his conversation in the lounge area of the ship, which comprised of a large sofa encompassing a wooden coffee table, a decent sized fridge filled with food and drinks, and some plants scattered around the small room.

"Onee-san has been doing all of the talking and has told quite a bit about herself to Shikikan, so now it's your turn. Onee-san wants to learn and know more all about you _wink_. "Well.." Before he could even continue, his conversation with Atago was unfortunately brought to a halt when the door opened.

"Shikikan, we are almost home!" Javelin appeared, seemingly well rested.

"Thanks Javelin, did you have a nice rest?"

"It was great! I even had a nice dream heheee" She said while having her hands to her face and swinging her head left and right repeatedly with a happy face.

"Araaa I wonder if it was with a certain someone hmmmm." Atago began, teasing the young girl.

"Ey!? Uhm I forget ahahaaa…." Javelin tried her best to make a not so obvious excuse, to which Atago couldn't help but giggle.

The Shikikan got out of his chair and walked up to Javelin to rub the slightly messy bed-hair on her head. "Are the others up too?"

"Yep! I won rock-paper-scissors, so I got to tell y- I-I mean they are all waiting outside for you ahahahaa..." Javelin was not very good at secrets.

The Shikikan only smiled in response as he patted her head once more before walking on out with the girls in tow.

"Sorry, but it looks like we'll have to continue this conversation later Atago."

"Don't worry Shikikan, we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other _wink."_

The sun was beginning to set and as he looked ahead, he saw the lights on the base beginning to light up. Takao and Shouhou were still in front of the ship sailing on ahead, but as the ship neared the dockyard, they saw two familiar figures waiting for them.

"Welcome back nyaaaa!" Akashi shouted and waved, while Shiranui offered a small wave.

A few minutes later, the ship was docked and some Manjuus rushed out beginning to perform maintenance checks on the ship.

"There are two injured girls in the medical room, please take care of them. Thank you" The Shikikan saluted the ever so helpful allies he had, to which they happily chirped and saluted back.

"Nya! Takao, Atago, Shouhou!"

"Akashi!" Shouhou said before giving Akashi a high five.

"Glad to see you are well Akashi. We managed to meet up with Shikikan on our way here and decided to come back together." Takao filled the catgirl in, omitting her earlier mistake of course.

"Takao-chan accidentally attacked the Shikikan thinking he was an enemy." Atago said with a devious smirk on her face confusing the cat girl and ghost girl.

"Oy Atago!" Takao said with a dark blush as she tried to swipe at her sister, who gracefully dodged with ease.

"Alright girls, great work again." The Shikikan appeared behind them all.

"Groannnnn" Laffey's and Shouhou's stomachs called out.

"Laffey wants food."

"Uhm….I uhhh…" Shouhou was cutely flustered after her stomach betrayed her.

The Shikikan offered them all a warm smile before speaking once more. "As thanks for all your hard work, how about I make dinner?"

Laffey and Akashi ran up and latched onto the Shikikan. "Shikikan is the besttttt (nyaaa)."

Javelin and Z23, both blushing from the bold display of affection they just saw, spoke in unison. "No fair Laffey! Akashi!" They both then looked at the Shikikan before reddening even more and looking away.

"Shikikan, you can cook?" Takao came up and asked.

"_Hai_ Shikikan makes delicious food _des_" Ayanami said with a sincere smile.

"I will vouch for her and confirm that she's telling the truth. He's a great chef ufufu.." Shiranui chimed in.

"Ara Shikikan, you continue to surprise you like Onee-san to help you?"

"Thanks, Atago, but I'm sure I'll be fine. Since everyone is probably tired and hungry, let me do the kitchen work. Feel free to relax while I try to make something nice and quick." He said before rolling up his sleeves and walking towards the canteen.

"I'm glad the Shikikan seems like a nice, respectable fellow" Takao started.

"Ara Takao, are you starting to feel smitten over the Shikikan hehe." Atago teased, leading to Takao trying to swipe at her again, failing once more.

"Ahaha… well anyway, the Shikikan is super nice and cool! He helped all of us earlier and made the best lunch earlier for us too!" Javelin said singing praises.

The girls began chattering amongst themselves as they all walked together, following after the Shikikan to the canteen.

{With the Shikikan}

'Wow, the kitchen is fully stocked again.' The Shikikan was greeted with a fridge full of new ingredients and the kitchen fully cleaned.

'Chirp!' The Chef Manjuus appeared in a line before him.

"Thanks for your hard work. Ready to help me make a dinner for nine hungry ship girls?"

'Chirp!' The Manjuus accepted the challenge with sparkles in their eyes.

'Alright let's see, since they all must be famished, let's just make one big thing so they can have their seconds if they wanted. Alright yeah, let's go with this.' The Shikikan confirmed in his mind what he wanted to make before acting as a head chef with the Manjuus there to help.

Back in the canteen dining area, the girls gathered around a large round table and were happily chatting with each other still. The starter squad each told their story of how they met the Shikikan and Akashi was stunned to hear that her gadget was in total shambles. As they were talking, they smelled something really aromatic coming from the kitchen that was strong enough to cause all of their stomachs to grumble. They all blushed at the embarrassing noise they made before they all laughed it off.

"Now I'm really excited to try the Shikikan's cooking after you girls talking about your lunches he made, and this amazi-I mean fragrant smell in the air!" Shouhou stuttered a bit in her attempt to maintain an adult image.

"_Herr Kommandant _is really talented at cooking. I'm sure you'll love it!" Z23 professed her faith in Shikikan's cooking talent.

"Ohhh? Is that so little Nimi?"

A new voice came from the doorway as it opened to reveal a beautiful young lady with long flowing silver hair and a red hair strand on the side of her head all while dressed in a provocative Ironblood uniform.

"Prinz E-Eugen-san!" Z23 said as she got out of her chair to greet the new person. "I thought you were still on a mission back in Ironblood lands?"

"Hooo? Did you not miss me Nimi? I–missed-you-lots." She said the latter half while grabbing hold of Nimi and touching her provocatively.

Z23 struggled for a bit, before managing to break free albeit with an extremely red blush on her face in addition to a very cute pout and a tick mark on the side of her head. "I-I hate it when you do that Eugen-san! H-How shameless!"

"_Entschuldigung_ Nimi, you're just too cute that I can't help but want to mess with you _wink_."

"Hhmph!" Z23 looked away with an upset pout and a still very red blush.

"Anyway, what's this wonderful smell? I smelled it all the way from the dockyard when I arrived and followed it until it led me here." The young lady now known as Prinz Eugen asked.

"It's the Shikikan's cooking! He should be done soon so feel free to come join us!" Javelin spoke up from her seat.

"Ohhh? The new Shikikan is cooking for you all? How interesting….Well don't mind if I do…" Prinz Eugen responded before taking a seat in the last open spot on the table between Z23 and Atago, the latter who offered her a small smile to which she responded back with one of her own. There smiles seemed a little strained, but otherwise there was no real tension apparent.

A few moments later, the kitchen doors opened with the Manjuus pushing out a cart full of plates with silver cloches on it.

"Well I hope everyone is hungry because I went a little overboard, I thin-oh?" The Shikikan began to speak before he noticed a new face amongst the girls. "I'm sorry but I don't think we've met?"

Prinz Eugen stood up to stand before the Shikikan. She had one hand on her hips while the other was on her lips. She seemed to be observing the Shikikan's features carefully. He didn't know what to do so he just stared back at her with a small smile.

'Are all ship girls either extremely pretty or cute?' The Shikikan said in his mind.

"Hmm...so you're the Commander huh, how much happiness can you bring me? I'm looking forward to it a lot~ I'm the miracle of the Ironblood Third Reich, third ship of the Admiral Hipper-class - Prinz Eugen." She introduced herself all while looking intently at the Shikikan.

"A pleasure to meet you Prinz Eugen, apologies for not greeting you personally once you arrived. I don't believe I was informed of your arrival. I am the Shikikan of the base and I look forward to working with you. I have just finished making dinner for everyone, if you would like, please join us, there's plenty to go around." He greeted her back with a formal tone and small gentlemanly bow.

Upon looking back up, he noticed that she moved in a bit closer to the point where her face was mere centimeters away from his own. She was staring straight into his eyes with a curious look in her own.

Some of the other girls were blushing at how bold she was, while the others were more interested in the hidden plates in front of them [**Author's Note: I'll let y'all figure out who's who]**.

"Hmm your eyes are very interesting Shikikan, I wouldn't mind staring at them ev-er-y-day." Prinz Eugen smirked as she said that, seemingly trying to test the Commander.

Not wanting to be a blushing, stuttering mess in front of all of the girls, he said the first thing that popped up in his mind. "I-I could say the same for you Prinz Eugen. Y-your eyes are quite amazing as well." He wasn't wrong, while his eyes were a mesmerizing amethyst color, her eyes were a beautiful amber color that seemed to glisten in the canteen lights.

Now all the girls looked up, except for Laffey and Shiranui, in surprise to hear the Shikikan's bold reply.

Eugen herself was surprised a bit before a challenging smirk appeared on her face once more. "Hoooo? Looks like I'm going to have some fun at this base after all." She stepped away before walking back to her seat, to which a Manjuu brought a plate with a cloche on top in front of her.

"Ahaha…well anyway, where was I? Oh right, so I went a bit overboard with the cooking, so feel free to have as much as you want." The Manjuus then lifted all the cloches to reveal a glistening plate of chicken curry and rice. The fragrant smell of the cubed chicken bits, medley of spices, and freshly cooked potatoes, onions, and carrots all steamed together and assaulted the girls' senses once the cloches came off. "It's not very spicy, but if you want more of a kick, feel free to add some of this." The Shikikan then placed in the center table a large pot of sauce that was red in color. "This is a spicy curry sauce mixture, so feel free to use it if you want a spicier curry."

The girls all began to take their first bites and not even a second later…

"A-amazing!" Takao exclaimed before beginning to dig in.

"Ara ara Shikikan. Onee-san loves it!" Atago was happily devouring her plate.

"Gnom Om Gnom!" Shouhou momentarily gave up acting like a completely grown up adult in favor of enjoying the curry.

"So good! But spicyieewwoo.." Javelin didn't regret putting some of the spicy sauce on her plate since it was still absolutely delicious.

"Nyaaaaaaaaa Shikikan you're the best nyaaaa." Akashi was about done with her first plate while Shiranui and Ayanami were focused on fully covering their plates with the spicy sauce before enjoying it even more than they already were.

"Laffey loves Shikikan om gnom nom…" She said as she devoured her first plate, to which a Manjuu replaced with another plate.

"_Beeindruckend_ Shikikan, I could almost fall for you _wink_." Eugen was happily enjoying her plate.

"Told you that you would like Eugen-san. Mmh _köstlich_! Z23 was also entranced by the amount of flavor packed into each bite of curry she took.

"There's plenty more girls, feel free to eat as much as you want." The Shikikan said with a happy and relieved smile as he grabbed himself a plate.

After about an hour, the giant vat of curry the Shikikan prepared was actually void of anymore curry.

"Wow, I'm actually surprised we managed to finish it." The Shikikan said.

"Thank you Shikikan it was the best curry I've ever had!" Shouhou came up and thanked him, to which he happily head patted in response. She didn't even realize that she was not acting like her image for an ideal adult because of how nice the head patting felt.

"It truly was Shikikan. But to think Atago finished 30 plates…." Takao said in awe of the stack of plates next to Atago.

"_Date, _Onee-san couldn't help but enjoy Shikikan's hard work." Atago said as she happily took another bite.

"Laffey is full and sleepyyy….Goodnightt….zzzzz" She said before excusing herself and walking back to her room.

"I think I'll turn in early too, thank you for everything today _Herr Kommandant_." Z23 smiled at the Shikikan before leaving as well.

"Shikikan, it was delicious, thank you." Ayanami smiled happily once more before giving him a bow and heading on back too.

The other girls also gave the Shikikan their thanks for the wonderful meal before heading on out, well all except for one.

"Ney Shikikan, care for a drink?" It was Eugen. She currently had two fancy cordial glasses and a large bottle of brandy in her hands.

'It has been a long day and it would be nice to relax a bit…' He took a second to think before answering, "sounds good to me." He took a seat next to Eugen before she poured him a glass of the dark substance.

"Prost Shikikan" They clanged their glasses together before enjoying the aromatic dark brown liquor.

"Wow…this is some great stuff you have here Eugen." He said before savoring another large swig.

"Hoooo, looks like you can handle your liquor pretty well Shikikan, color me surprised." Eugen said before downing the rest of her drink and pouring herself and the Shikikan some more.

After a while enjoying their drinks in comfortable silence, the two began talking, well mostly Eugen talking about herself, her sister, and what the Iron Blood is like. Soon enough, the last of the brandy was poured out into their glasses. The Shikikan was more than just a bit tipsy but not enough to be called drunk, while Eugen seemed to be swaying back and forth.

"A-are you a-alright Eugen?" It took him some effort to speak properly without sounding like a slurring mess.

"Hic….Shi-ki-kannnnn, I had another bottle to myself on my way here so don't think you can hold your liquor better tha-hic…..me." She said before cozying up a bit closer to the Shikikan and wrapping her arms around his right arm. "Ney Shikikan, tell me, what made you want to join this war?"

Trying to clear his mind a bit in order to speak properly, he took a large breath and chugged a glass of water the Manjuus left for them. "Well…it's a rather long story that might ruin the mood a bit…" He said with a small down-hearted smile.

Eugen must've noticed his mood change as her expression was a mix of curiosity and slight concern. "Don't push yourself if you don't want to, but I'm willing to offer an ear to my new drinking buddy if you feel like it." She said as she released his arm before giving him a pat on the shoulder.

He offered her a thankful smile before he spilled out everything he remembered to her, starting with that _day_. By the end of it, Eugen expression changed to a sullen look, but before she could say something, Shikikan spoke once more.

"D-don't get me wrong though, even though I had to go through hell and back to get here, I'm still not going to give up on my dream to be someone who can help and protect others. I might be scarred and a bit scared, but I promise you that I'll do more than just my best as Commander." He said before offering her a smile filled with determination.

Eugen couldn't help but smile a bit in return before downing the rest of her drink. She hiccupped a bit before glomming onto his arm once more. "Since you're my new _Kommandant _and drinking buddy, I'll protect you from the Sirens if they ever threaten you. Rest assured, you have the miracle of the Ironblood Third Reich on your side after all _wink_."

"Ara, Onee-san is here for you too Shikikan." They turned around to the canteen door, where their eyes met Atago's. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I when I noticed that you were still in here with Eugen, Onee-san couldn't help herself." She said before coming to over and embracing the seated Shikikan. His face was pressed against her soft pillows that he couldn't help but want to press himself more into. 'Must be the liquor.' He thought as he was unable and unwanting to break the comforting embrace.

"You've been through far too much Shikikan, Onee-san hereby promises to protect and support you with all she has. For now though, you should head to bed and clear out the liquor. You probably should too Prinz Eugen-san."

"Huhhh, I'm fin-hic…ee." Eugen tried to reply before deciding Atago was right.

"Well I'll be on my way back to the Iron Blood dorm, see you tomorrow _Herr Kommandant_." Eugen nodded Atago as well before she struggled a bit and stumbled out of the canteen.

"Do you want Onee-san to accompany you back to your office Shikikan?"

"Thanks, but I'm feeling a lot sober and better getting my past off my chest. I didn't mean to keep it a secret, but it's just hard to find a good time to tell it without completely ruining the mood you know?" He said as he got out of his seat slowly so that the room didn't start to spin.

Atago looked at him with wonder. "It is a rather sensitive topic so no one can really blame you. But in all seriousness though Shikikan, I'm amazed at how quickly you've approved according to what you told me you were like just a month ago."

Shikikan offered her a light smile in response. "I am too, but the thought of having others go through what I had to is what's driving me to speed on ahead. I'm still not fully recovered from the trauma, but as I promised Eugen, I won't let it affect my duty to protect and work with you girls."

Atago couldn't help but smile back at him before sighing. "Ara ara, you and Takao-chan are quite like-minded. You both prioritize others over yourselves to the point it worries Onee-san so. Just make sure to take of yourself too unless you want Onee-san here to scold you." She said with a smile that was surprisingly quite intimidating.

Shikikan gulped before responding. "Ahaha will do."

Saying goodnight to Atago, he stumbled a bit back to his office. Once he got there however, he noticed something was different.

'Wait, was there always two floors to this building?' Shikikan at first thought he was just seeing things, but after rubbing his eyes and taking a deep breath, his office building did indeed have two floors now. He unlocked the door and walked into his office, seeing that everything seemed the same, except for two things. A spiral staircase in the corner of the room and a letter on his desk. Opening the letter, he found out it was from the Manjuus telling him that they added a second floor to the building for his private quarters.

'How? Just how the hell did they build a whole floor addition in under the few hours I was gone?'

He couldn't believe that the Manjuus were nothing short of miracle workers once again. He walked up the spiral staircase and opened the door at the top and into his quarters. He noticed that his room was on the smaller side, but it had everything you would need to call it an apartment rather than just a private quarter. Upon entering past the humble entrance area was a small simple kitchen that was stocked with pots, pans, a small fridge, a microwave, and an electric stove. The fridge had more liquor and had enough food to last a week inside. Continuing further was a small living space that consisted of a full sized bed in the corner, a desk with a computer set up on the opposite corner, a small closet with his custom fitted commander uniform hung up and a drawer filled with the casual clothes he bought at Akashi's store, and a door that led to a small bathroom comprised of a small standing shower, toilet, and sink.

'Yep, the Manjuus are miracle workers in disguise alright. I can't appreciate them enough.' He decided to stop questioning how they continuously defy logic and to just always be thankful they are on his side.

He looked at the clock on the nightstand next to his bed and saw it was just past 11:00 pm and decided that he should get to bed soon. He took a nice cold shower to sober up and cool off, brushed his teeth, and drank a large glass of water from the kitchen before putting on one his new casual clothes (a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants) and collapsing into his bed.

'What an eventful day. I'm glad the girls seem nice and seem to get along with each other. Starting tomorrow, I probably should try and get to know each one of them individually though. But now, sleep sounds way too good.' He plugged in his phone, placed his watch on the wireless charging pad, and fell asleep. Unlike other nights, he didn't have that reoccurring nightmare that he used to always get back in the hospital and was able to sleep soundly with a blissful look on his face.

[Morning time]

'Ring! Ring! Ring!'

Shikikan woke up to the sound of the alarm clock going off before silencing it. He looked around, confused as to where he was before he realized that he was now officially the Commander of the Azur Lane and was living on base now. He got up relieved that he wasn't a bit hungover, before going into the bathroom and freshening up. After brushing his teeth and splashing cold water on his face to wake up, he noticed that it was just barely past 6:00 am. He made himself a simple eggs, bacon, and bread and some coffee for breakfast before changing into his uniform, grabbing his phone and watch, putting on his shoes, and walking downstairs to his office. Making his way down, he saw the four large black boxes he bought from Shiranui yesterday on the coffee table and a large intimidating stack of papers on his desk.

'I guess I don't really have a set time to work so I have to manage everything myself.' Looking down at his watch, he finally noticed all the notifications he received.

'Still not sure what this affinity thing is all about, but Teito said it's best to always be over a score of 50 right?' He looked down and noticed scores next to all the ship girls he met so far:

Laffey: 60

Javelin: 66

Z23: 61

Ayanami: 69

Akashi: 58

Shiranui: 57

Ning Hai:53

Ping Hai: 52

Atago: 65

Takao: 56

Shouhou: 55

'Okay so they are all above 50 so that's good, but I wonder what exactly it means and how high the scores go.' He pondered as he continued to read his notifications, before seeing two that read that the two Wisdom cubes he left at the dockyard will be done by lunch today. 'Guess I'll head to the dockyard before lunch, but before that, let's get some exercise and take a stroll around the base.'

As he walked around, he noticed the trees were starting to change color and the weather was starting to get colder as fall made its arrival. He ended up finding himself walking by the dorms in the order of Eagle Union, Royal Navy, Iron Blood, and Sakura Empire. The first three dorms he saw no one as he was walking by since it was still not even 7:00 am yet, but he noticed a familiar figure nearby the Sakura Empire dorm swinging her sword.

"You're up early Takao." He said as he walked up to the beautiful heavy cruiser.

"Oh, _ohayou gozaimasu_ Shikikan. I didn't expect anyone else to be up this early. Are you out for a walk?" She asked as she stopped what she was doing before taking a break and walking to him.

"Yep, I had a surprisingly nice sleep and felt the need to get some exercise and fresh air ahaha, how about you? Morning training?"

"_Hai_, skipping a day of training would dull my blade and skills as a swordswoman. I shan't allow myself to slack for even a moment." She replied before taking her sword up again and swinging it down that showed off her discipline and hard work as she continuously repeated the motion.

The Shikikan couldn't help but smile. "Atago was right, you are quite the hard-worker and someone everyone can rely. I'm glad to have you with me Takao." He said sincerely before a devious thought popped up in his mind. "…Despite what happened yesterday ahaha."

Takao stopped mid-swing as a dark blush appeared on her face as she looked at him. "I-I sincerely apologize for my lack of restraint and reckless-" She began to apologize profusely before Shikikan chimed in.

"Ahaha, sorry about that Takao, looks like Atago's and Eugen's teasing nature rubbed off on me a bit." He said while rubbing the back of his head with a smile on his face.

Takao looked at him with a cute pout and blush still very much visible on her face.

'Cute….no wonder Atago likes teasing Takao so much.' Shikikan thought as he saw a more vivid side to the usually serious, straight-forward girl.

"But in all seriousness though, I'm not the least bit mad about yesterday. No one got hurt and you showed me how much you care for your friends and allies. I can't help but just admire you Takao." He smiled as he poured out his honest feelings to her with ease.

Takao was now blushing madly once again, but for a different reason this time. Unnoticed by either of them, the Shikikan's watch had an 'affinity up!' notification next to Takao's name.

"T-thank you S-Shikikan. I-I look forward to assisting in y-your efforts." Takao was having trouble speaking clearly, let alone look at him as she spoke.

The Shikikan offered her a smile before speaking once more. "Well I should let you get back to your training, feel free to stop by the canteen later, I'm thinking of helping the Manjuus make breakfast." He said as he walked off. Takao gave him a bow as he walked off, however, with his back turned away from her, the Shikikan couldn't see the small, yet happy and sincere smile Takao had on her face as she saw him off.

'He really is as nice as the others say. He sees us not as tools of war, but as people.' Takao continued to smile and felt her face getting hot before realizing she was out in public. 'H-how shameless Takao!' She scolded herself in her mind before getting back to training albeit with a noticeable blush still on her face.

* * *

**A slightly shorter chapter, but I decided it be better to space out this chapter a bit more than I previously intended. Next chapter should be up in a few days, emphasis on 'should' lol. Tune in next time for Chapter 5: The Four Factions Assemble (Part 2)!**

**Happy holidays everyone!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: The Four Factions Assemble (Part 2)**

**I'm back with chapter 6 everyone! Hope y'all had some happy holidays! I've kept you all waiting long enough so I'll leave it here for now. Please Enjoy!**

* * *

"Life is not a game of luck, if you wanna win, work hard." – Sora, No Game No Life

* * *

Moving along with his morning walk around the base, the Shikikan didn't find anyone else awake so early in the morning. After walking around a bit more, he decided to head to the canteen and surprise the girls with a nice breakfast since he had some time on his hands left before he really should start getting to work as the base commander.

'Alright, now…what to make?' He said as he walked inside and noticed the chef Manjuus getting ready to work. He gave each of them a little head-pat before heading into the kitchen with them in tow of course. He ended up making a rather large stack of pancakes that would give the pile of papers in his office a run for its money, trays full of juicy thick cut bacon, scrambled eggs, steamed dumplings, and salted grilled salmon, and two large pots of steamed white rice and traditional Japanese miso soup.

'Whew, cooking seems to be my go-to thing to do whenever I want to kill some time apparently. Just seeing those girls happily eating seem so much more worth the extra effort.' He happily thought as he left the chef Manjuus back in charge and went back to his office to begin his first official day as the new Azur Lane base commander.

The pile in his office consisted of a wide range of various documents needing his attention. From maintenance, food, and other resource bills to commission requests to budget adjustments to base plans and so on, he knew he was going to be here for a while.

'Well this might be a pain, but it still beats Sirens any day of the week'.' He said as he got to work.

Meanwhile, about half an hour later…..

"Mhmmm! The pancakes are so fluffy I can't get enough!" Javelin was as bubbly as she could be as she stacked layers upon layers of pancakes onto her plate.

"Oy Javelin! It's not a good idea to eat so much so fast before our daily exercises!" Z23 tried to dissuade the Royal Navy girl but said girl seemed too lost in her desire for pancakes made by the Shikikan to even notice someone was speaking to her. Z23 could only sigh as she took another bite of her bacon before her expression changed to one of pure bliss and happiness as she continued to eat.

"Ara ara, Shikikan sure knows how to spoil a girl." Atago giggled as she was on her tenth bowl of rice and salmon.

"A-Atago, I think you might want to-never mind." Takao sighed as she seemed full just by watching her sister eat.

"I'll have to thank _Herr Kommandant _later in his office for this early morning surprise." Prinz Eugen added with quite a devious smirk, not unnoticed by the others.

"Ara, Onee-san was planning on helping the Shikikan with his paperwork. I'll be glad to pass along your thanks in your stead ufufu." Atago chimed in with a challenging tone of voice.

"Hoooo, how about a wager than? Whoever does better in the cruiser exercises later today gets to pay a visit to _Herr Kommandant_?" Prinz Eugen's smirk exuded her confidence in her combat abilities.

"Ara ara, looks like Onee-san will have to get a bit serious if you plan to get between her and _Shikikan_."

Sparks seemed to be flying between the two as tensions grew, but a certain destroyer decided to chime in.

"Laffey wants to take a nap on Shikikan's couch." She said as she metaphorically was adding fuel to the fire.

"Ahem! I promised _Herr Kommandant_ that we would study naval tactics together so I think I should be the one visiting him." Z3 boldly staked her claim.

"Ohhh? Little Nimi has gotten rather bold, hasn't she?" Prinz Eugen said, intimidation quite apparent, but that changed quickly to a surprised expression as Z23 responded with nothing but a calm, yet confident challenging smile.

"Ehh? Ehh? Um, well let's not go to far, Shikikan will be troubled if we damage each other or the base." Javelin tried to ease the increasing tension in the air.

"She's right." Takao chimed in too which everyone turned to her. "But I shan't let this chance to repay the Shikikan back for his mercy pass!" Takao loudly proclaimed.

"M-me too….des. Shikikan saved me yesterday and….," Ayanami took a deep breath, "I want to thank him." Determination blazing in her eyes.

"Then it's settled, the exercises later will be a joint exercise between all of you with the one with the best performance winning the chance to be with the Shikikan ufufu." Shiranui deviously stated before multiple auras filled with determination engulfed the canteen.

"Nya! Be careful not to destroy the base nya!" Akashi was slightly blue as she thought of her shop being torn to pieces from a stray shell.

"Ahahaa…" Shouhou could only laugh nervously at the scene before her.

'Ufufu….good luck Shikikan.' Shiranui thought with a devilish smirk.

After about an hour of war with paperwork, the Shikikan managed to make a decent dent in the monstrous pile.

'Good thing Victoria's a good teacher. All this paperwork is a breeze compared to those lessons of hers.' He shuddered a bit imaging the brutal cram course he was put through back in the hospital. He decided to reward himself with some steamed dumplings he brought along with him from the canteen as a snack. Before he took a bite…

Knock Knock…."Shikikan?"

"Door's open!" In came the two previously fast asleep Dragon Empery girls now seemingly fully recovered.

"Glad to see you two up, how are you both feeling?" He asked, relieved to see them okay.

"We are feeling a lot better and wanted to thank you for-…" Ning Hai stopped mid-sentence as she seemed to be staring at something as if she was caught in a trance.

Ping Hai began to drool as she walked closer to the Shikikan, or more specifically, the plate of steamed dumplings on the desk.

"S-Shikikan are those _Baozi_?" Ping Hai asked as her eyes sparkled at they locked on her favorite Dragon Empery cuisine. Ning Hai walked up with the exact same expression.

The Shikikan could only chuckle a bit seeing the two girls so mesmerized by buns. "Yeah, I made some for breakfast, would you two like some?" He said as he pushed the plate towards them.

"Ye…! I mean if you insist. Thank yo-Ping Hai!" Ping Hai had swiftly took one before munching down on it.

"_Zhème hǎo! _This is one of the best baozis I've ever had!" Ping Hai hungrily devoured the bun with her eyes sparkling and hearts fluttering out of her head.

Ning Hai gave into the temptation before her as she grabbed one as well seeing how much her sister seemed to be enjoying it. Her serious expression melted into one of pure bliss.

"Mhhmmmm! _Wèidào zhēn hǎo_! S-Shikikan! Did you make these!?" She asked as she was stuffing her face.

The Shikikan couldn't help but pat both their heads as he saw the two absolutely adorable girls happily eat. "Yeah and there's plenty more back in the canteen along with some other stuff so don't feel like you have to hold back."

Ping Hai, finished with her bun, jumped up and gave the Shikikan a quick hug. "Xièxiè Shikikan! Let's go Jiějiě!" She said as she ran off.

"P-Ping Hai! Don't eat all the buns without m-I mean don't run!" Ning Hai exasperated but knew deep down she wanted to do the exact same thing. She quickly turned back to the Shikikan. "Xièxiè for saving us Shikikan, as the first ship of the Ning Ha-class, I promise that neither Ping Hai or I will disappoint you!" The more mature of the sisters bowed gratefully.

"I look forward to working with you as well." He replied before adding (with a teasing smile), "but you should hurry to the canteen before Ping Hai gets all the buns thoughhh."

Ning Hai stood straight up before dashing to the door, closing it behind here. Realizing she just embarrassed herself a bit (in her mind), she leaned her head down a bit against the door as a blush and eventually a smile crept up on her face, most likely due to confirming the Shikikan is really a nice guy after all. She dashed once more after her carefree younger sister with the happiest of expressions still plastered on her face.

Ring! Ring!

Back in the office, the Shikikan's phone was ringing. Picking it up, he noticed that it was Victoria requesting a video-chat.

"Good morning Vice-Admiral" He saluted as he saw her on the screen.

"Hey, you don't have to be so formal Shikikan." Victoria cutely pouted.

"Sorry I just felt like joking around a bit ahaha." He offered her the brightest smile she had seen from him so far, surprising her.

"I was going to ask how everything's going so far, but your expression says it all." Victoria might've have not noticed, but she can't help but worry about the Shikikan, what with all he went through, so seeing him smile the way he did, she couldn't help but smile back in relief and shared happiness.

"Ahaha yeah, I've managed to get on the girls' good sides, I think. But I swear they're all just ordinary girls. Sure, they have superhuman strength and powers, but they all have their own personalities, their own wills, and their own desires and dreams. It's kind of hard to explain, but I can't help but want to dote and support them as much as I can ahaha.' The Shikikan spoke with sincerity.

"I knew you were perfect for the job." Victoria said, feeling rightfully proud in her decision and for him as well. "So, what exactly happened that brightened you up so quickly?"

The Shikikan proceeded to tell her the entire story starting with the emergency request the Dragon Empery sisters to the Takao incident to the chats he had with Atago and Eugen.

Victoria was shocked not only from the fact that Takao attacked him by accident, but by how much has happened in under the 24 hours she left him at the base.

"And now I'm just doing some paperwork now, but it's a breeze compared to your hel-your lessons ahaha…."

"Aren't you glad you got the best teacher to teach you ahaha?" Victoria said jokingly, knowing all too well that she did cram a lot into the Shikikan's head due to the time constraint.

"Yep, having such a talented, kind, and pretty teacher was really lucky for me." The Shikikan smiled as he blurted this out without thinking.

Victoria was now blushing an intense red hearing the praise. She was not expecting him to call her that so casually at all.

The Shikikan noticed her blush and couldn't but stifle a chuckle. "Ahaa.. sorry, but it looks like Atago and Eugen's teasing nature rubbed off on me worse than I thought." Victoria cutely pouted before crossing her arms and looking away from the screen. They continued to casually talk for a bit more before Victoria realized that time got away from her faster than she expected

"But anyway, I should get back to work soon and you should too. Feel free to reach out whenever Shikikan."

"Will do" Shikikan saluted with a smile.

Victoria saluted back at him playfully before a blush came back on her face. "A-and thanks for the c-compliments." She looked away from the screen and said the latter quietly.

"Hmm? Sorry, I didn't get what you said. "

"N-nothing! I was trying to figure something out in my head! Don't be a stranger S-Shikikan!" Victoria hastily ended the video call after waving goodbye.

'Hmm, maybe I should tone down the teasing a bit for her…but with that said..' Shikikan began to speak out loud, "You girls don't have to hide, the doors always open you knowwww."

The office door opened to reveal all the ship girls he met thus far, except for the Hai sisters who were still devouring _baozis_ in the canteen, and Shiranui and Akashi who were busy manning their respective stores.

"How'd you know we were here?" Shouhou was the first to speak up.

"A sixth sense maybe? Either that or because I heard Javelin giggling." He smiled as all the girls entered the office.

"Sigh…see? I told you were being too loud Javelin." Z23 pouted.

"B-but how could I not when Shikikan said such nice things about us!?" Javelin had her hands on the sides of her face all while happily shaking her head left and right.

"Ara ara, you're quite the charmer Shikikan. Onee-san felt her heart swoon a bit."

"Blaming me for your teasing, aren't you a devious rascal _wink_" Eugen had a finger to her lips that were curved into a knowing smirk.

"T-thank you again for your leniency yesterday Shikikan…" Takao spoke while her head was off to the side, a small, yet noticeable blush apparent on her face.

"Ahaha…." Shikikan was feeling a bit embarrassed after he remembered how he poured his honest feelings out about the ship girls to Victoria. "So, what brings everyone here?"

"Laffey wasn't feeling sleepy from eating so many tasty pancakes and wanted to sleep in Shikikan's office, mhm Laffey didn't."

Shikikan smiled hearing that she like the pancakes. "Well, if you do end up feeling sleepy, the couch over there is pretty comfy to take a nap on."

Laffey was halfway to the couch before Javelin grabbed onto her shoulder.

"Wait Laffey-chan! The competition! We're here to tell the Shikikan about the competition!"

"Competition?" Shikikan questioned.

"_Ja_. We wanted to do a competition during the fleet exercises today."

"Hmm, sounds fun. What are the rules?" Shikikan thought this would be a good chance to observe each of the girls' combat abilities for future references.

"Whoever does the best gets to spend some time with you _des_." Ayanami briefed him on the competition, but he noticed that her eyes were sparked with determination, of which were akin to everyone else's.

"A-are you sure that's what you all want for a prize?" He was thinking the prize seemed a bit lackluster for them.

"Ara, don't worry Shikikan, we all have different ideas on what spending time with you means _wink_" An intimidating, intense aura was radiating out of Atago.

"Ww-well if you say so ahaha…" The Shikikan couldn't help but feel a bit nervous upon hearing that bit from Atago. "But do be careful of going overboard and hurting yourselves though."

"Yessir!" They all responded in unison, putting his worries at ease.

"Oh, that reminds me," The Shikikan got out of his chair and walked over to the coffee table where the T5 boxes he bought from Shiranui were.

"Laffey, Javelin, Z23, Ayanami, these boxes are for you four."

All the girls went silent a bit. The four aforementioned looked at the boxes, then back at him, then back at the boxes, and again back at him before…

"Kyaa! Shikikan! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Javelin leapt up to give him a flying hug. He managed to catch her and noticed how light she was despite how heavy her rigging looked.

"No fair Jave-I mean calm down Javelin!" Z23 tried to chastise the bubbly girl but failed since she had a wide happy smile and sparkles in her eyes as she looked at the box.

Laffey walked up to hug the Shikikan around his waist. "Laffey isn't super happy, no I'm not mhmm," She said as she snuggled into the hug.

"Not that I'm against this, like at all, but uhm..is this really something you girls like this much?" The Shikikan was surprised to see how happy they all were.

"_Hai_ des." Ayanami walked up to him with a smile plastered on her face. "As Kansen, getting stronger is necessary to be able to fight the Sirens and have the strength to protect those we care about about des. Stronger equipment makes this more possible….des." She explained this all with the same adorable smile.

"I hope they all aren't just repair toolkits ahahaaa…" Shouhou softly chuckled.

"How rude, I wouldn't scam the first tim-…I wouldn't scam the Shikikan."

"Waaahh! Shiranui Don't do that!" Shouhou jumped up out of surprise. Turning around, she noticed it was Shiranui who appeared almost magically.

"Ufufu. Don't worry Shikikan, like I said, these discounted boxes are my thank you gift so of course they will be good." Shiranui hid her small smirk behind her sleeves. "But for future reference, I recommend having future tech boxes delivered to the shipyard since it'll be easier to equip the gear there.

'I should be more wary of what I buy from her and Akashi in the future...' Shikikan thought as he made a mental note.

"Thanks, Shiranui, and will do. But for now, let's head on outside and open the boxes there since this room is a bit small ahaha."

Each of the starter squad girls grabbed a tech box and followed the Shikikan and the others outside. Upon making it to an open grassy area, each member of the starter squad placed a hand on the top of their respective boxes. The boxes began to glow before it began to open themselves, revealing the contents inside to everyone.

"Hehe, being taken care of by the Shikikan is very heartwarming." Javelin said as she looked at her new type 3 533mm Quintuple Torpedo Mount with a wide grin on her face.

"Mhmm back to sleep for me...zzz" Laffey fell asleep holding her new type 3 Twin 127mm (5"/38 Mk 38) in her arms as peacefully slept with a happy expression on her face.

"Thank you, Herr Kommandant, I hope to continue to improve together with you." Z23 came up to the Shikikan smiling brightly as she also held a type 3 Twin 127mm (5"/38 Mk 38) in her arms.

"My strength is overflowing!" Ayanami was mesmerized by the new type 3 533mm Quintuple Homing Torpedo Mount she got from her box. "Thank you Shikikan." She said as she also came up to the Shikikan with a brilliant smile plastered on her face as well.

The Shikikan head-patted both of the girls in front of him before going to Javelin and the fast asleep Laffey and giving them head-pats as well.

"I'm glad you all liked what you got. Hopefully this doesn't tilt today's competition in your favor too much ahaha…."

"Shikikan, you'll make Onee-san jealous if you spoil others." Atago had an intimidating smile as she spoke up.

He turned around and saw her, Eugen, Takao, and even Shouhou staring and were all slightly pouting at him.

"Um…ahaha….sorry about that. I bought these tech boxes yesterday for these girls and didn't expect to see more of you to appear so soon." He tried his best to ease the jealous stares and tension all pointed towards him before an idea popped in his head.

"Hey um Shiranui?" He said as he looked to the person in question who seemed to be very amused at the situation before her as she stood to the side. "Could I ask you to take Eugen, Atago, Takao, Shouhou, and the Hai sisters with you back to your store and see if you could get them so gear too?"

All the present aforementioned girls went quiet upon hearing the Shikikan.

"Oh? Well aren't you quite the _Zuckervati_? Either way _danke_ _Herr Kommandant wink_." Eugen said as she walked up and hugged one of Shikikan's arms, a pleased smirk on her face as she the Shikikan beginning to redden a bit.

"Ara ara Shikikan, you sure do know how to please a girl, Onee-san is so proud of you, _dakara_…as a reward,…eyy!" Atago also came up and happily latched onto the Shikikan.

His face was now extremely red as he had two beautiful girls arm in arm with him. The soft sensations he felt on his arms felt amazing, but he still couldn't suppress the embarrassment he felt being the center of attention.

"Hooo, what's wrong _Herr Kommandant_? You're beet red. How adorable _wink_." Eugen smirked as she tightened her grip on his arm.

"Ara ara Shikikan, if you act so cute, Onee-san will have trouble holding back you knowww _wink_." Atago also pressed his arm deeper into her chest.

'Error 404: not found' would be an accurate description of what's going on in the Shikikan's mind at this point.

"E-Eugen-san! S-stop bothering _Herr Kommandant_!" Z23 was trying to save the Shikikan.

"Go easy on Shikikan, Atago…" Takao came up and tried prying her sister loose.

"Ufufu…thank you for your patronage Shikikan, I'll send the bill your way later." Shiranui had nothing but profit on her mind as she deviously smirked.

After a couple more minutes of teasing, the two girls, along with Takao and Shouhou, followed after Shiranui back to her store. The Shikikan managed to recover himself a bit after they left and turned around to see the starter squad happily chatting away.

"Well girls, good luck in the competition. I'm going to try and see if I can finish that stack of papers in my office by the end of today, but feel free to stop by if you want. Also, could I ask one of you to go inform the Hai sisters to go see Shiranui once they finish their breakfast?" He waved the girls goodbye as he walked back to his office.

After he left…

"Shikikan is so cool! He gave us such great gear and is giving everyone else gear too! Let's do our best and make him proud!" Javelin was the first to speak.

The other girls nodded in agreement. "I just hope the base's finances will be okay.." Z23 worried.

"Laffey saw Manjuus pushing a big cart full of coins and gems to the treasury."

"We should head to the dockyard and equip our new gear before the exercise _des_." Ayanami suggested before all of the starter squad followed suit.

{Back to the Shikikan}

After a few more hours, the Shikikan managed to finish more than half of the monstrous pile of papers since he had started.

'Phew, alright the base budgeting, restocking, scheduling, and asset planning are all set. Since I allocated more funds towards Wisdom Cube development, construction should be ten times as fast now. I'm not sure when, but the Manjuus managed to salvage some gear blueprints and parts, some coins, and even three wisdom cubes during the rescue emergency request yesterday. But back to the things to do, now all that's left are the commission assignment requests and future exercise plans. It'll probably be smarter to get a sense of each of the girl's strengths and weaknesses and go from there.' Shikikan confirmed in his mind.

He then received a notification from his watch and computer that read the same thing: 'Construction nearing completion!'.

'The girls' should have started their exercise a while ago, but I should still have time to see most of the exercise after I go greet the new recruits.' He got up out of his seat and headed to the dockyard.

Once he made his way to the shipbuilding section of the dockyard, he noticed that two massive ships, a destroyer and a light cruiser, were in place of the previously empty open water areas inside the dockyard.

'I don't know what I'd do without the Manjuus in all honesty.' A Manjuu wearing a hard hat came up to him and saluted him, to which he responded in kind.

"Excellent work!"

Chirp!

He proceeded to pet the Manjuu a bit before he headed over to the display panel, where it read '00:00:10' remaining for both construction projects. Upon reaching zero, the two cubes began to glow before completely dispersing into particles that flew to the fully constructed ships. The ships themselves then began to glow before fully dispersing into particles as well and gathering near the front of their respective construction areas. Standing from where he was at the panel monitors and displays (in between the two construction areas), two figures could be made out of the mass of particles before they glowed brightly enough to cause the Shikikan to shield his eyes. Upon opening his eyes, he noticed two unfamiliar girls standing where the previous of mass of particles were gathered. He was mesmerized at the mysterious powers of the Wisdom cubes he just witnessed. The two girls slowly opened their eyes before looking around until their eyes landed on the Shikikan's. It took him a second to gather himself from his amazement before he walked towards the front of the panel and greet them both.

"Hello, I am the Shikikan of this base. It is a pleasure to meet the both of you and I hope we get along." He smiled as he offered a small bow to the two girls.

The one on the left spoke up first. She wore a loose fitted green kimono and had long black hair accompanied with black animal ears and a black fluffy tail that was white at the tip.

"Hello _Goshujin_, I'm the Sakura Empire's Yuubari-class light cruiser, Yuubari." She gave a polite bow upon finishing her introduction.

'_Goshujin_? Ehhhh, let's play along with it for now. The other girl has yet to introduce herself afterall.' He proceeded to look over to the other girl, who was a small little girl with long blonde hair tied into twin-tails and seemed to be emitting small sparks.

"Shikikan...Eldridge, reporting in." She said as she adorably saluted him.

"I'm glad to have you two join my fleet. I look forward to working with you both." He said as he offered them both his signature small, yet sincere, smile.

Eldridge stopped emitting sparks momentarily and walked up closer to the Shikikan and put her hands up towards him.

"Shikikan….up."

The Shikikan felt his heart skip a beat at the adorable little girl's request. Much like any other person would, he complied and picked her up into his arms. She snuggled into the crest of his neck a bit, almost as if she was testing out his comfiness.

'Affinity up!'

"Mmm, comfy" She said in approval before looking into his eyes. "Shikikan….pretty eyes."

"Hmm, she's right your eyes are quite the amazing amethyst color." Yuubari had apparently walked up to his side as well.

"Ahaha….thank you." He smiled sheepishly. "The others are in the middle of their joint exercise; shall we join them?"

Yuubari nodded while Eldridge went back to snuggling up to him, seemingly not wanting to be put down, something of which the Shikikan didn't mind whatsoever.

As he was turning away, he remembered something important.

"Oh! Hey Manjuus!" He called out to the Manjuus present, of which all lined up before him and saluted.

"Again, excellent work, please have a nice long rest. There were some Wisdom cubes retrieved during yesterday's mission and I'd like to have them transformed as well. Could I ask you to do that once you all feel good to go?" He requested, worrying a bit that he might overwork the small helpful creatures.

Chirp!

Shikikan turned around to notice that the three Wisdom cubes from yesterday were being brought in by more Manjuus and being set up onto the panel to begin construction right away.

"Um are you sure you guys don't need to rest a bit? Building whole ships so fast seems a bit….you know?" He said offering his concerns for their well-being.

The Manjuus chirped happily back at him, seemingly happy that he cares for them. They all then pointed to a small door to the corner of the building. He walked up to the door and upon opening it, found hundreds of Manjuus relaxing and playing in what seemed to be a large Manjuu exclusive resort area.

'So, this is where they all go and come from'. He felt a lot more relieved now knowing that the Manjuus are well treated and comfy.

"Thank you for your hard work!" He took his free arm that wasn't holding Eldridge and saluted them, to which they saluted and chirped in response.

The trio then proceeded to leave the dockyard and headed to the exercise area.

'Will Eldridge be okay combat-wise? Not just the sparks, but she's so tiny and light, I can't help but worry a bit.' He thought as he walked with Eldridge in his arms and Yuubari to his side.

"Shikikan? Eldridge…..Will do her best." She said while putting a hand into a 'V' sign all while emitting sparks.

Surprised she read his mind, he decided to put his mind at ease for now since they reached the exercise area. They were standing on top of a cliff overlooking all the girls hard at work. The girls were all skating around in the water seemingly in the middle of a combat exercise between the starter squad and the heavy cruisers plus light aircraft carrier. Ayanami and Takao were clashing swords, Javelin was trying to hit Atago with her javelin, but the latter was dodging and parrying gracefully, and Z23 and Laffey were circling around Eugen who seemed to be trying to protect Shouhou as part of the exercise.

'Seems like this is a naval combat defense exercise where the destroyers are trying to eliminate the priority target while the heavy cruisers are to protect the VIP. Seems like Shouhou got the short of the stick and is the targeted VIP.' Shikikan's trained eyes quickly confirmed the point of the exercise while also learning more about each girls' combat capabilities.

Yuubari and Eldridge seemed to be thoroughly watching the exercise alongside him. After a few more minutes of observation, the Shikikan managed to come up with general ideas of each of the girls' capabilities.

'Based on what I've seen so far, Z23 seems to prioritize her main guns, is the strategist of the starter squad, and is quite capable of leading her fellow destroyers. Ayanami relies a lot on her torpedoes and her close combat capabilities. Javelin seems to be the best of the destroyers in terms of evasion and Laffey seems to be the most well-rounded of her squad. For the others, Takao shows a lot of experience and strength in both close and mid-range combat. The same goes for Atago, but she seems like she relies more on mid-range attacks with her guns and torpedoes in comparison to her sister. Prinz Eugen seems to have great defensive capabilities in that her shields are able to block a lot of the shells being fired at her while being able to dish out some heavy damage simultaneously. And for Shouhou, she's able to transform paper planes into actually planes and controls them with her fan quite skillfully.' He surmised all of his initial thoughts on each of the girls after briefly observing them.

He felt a vibration on his wrist and saw that he got a notification on his wristwatch that upon opening, showed him the damage output, damage taken, and other statistics of all the girls below during this exercise.

'Huh, this'll be extremely useful for future references. Come to think of it, what were the stats from the rescue mission yesterday?' He flicked downwards on his watch until he found the stats he was looking for. 'Interesting, so the damage output was about equal between Ayanami, Z23, Laffey, and Javelin. I wonder how well their new gear is working for them now.' He pondered.

"What do you say we head on down there as well?" He suggested to Yuubari and Eldridge, to which they nodded approvingly before making their way to the others.

Upon arrival, the girls had stopped to take a break and seeing Shikikan, they skated towards him eagerly.

"Great work ladies. Sorry for being a bit late, but I'd like to introduce everyone to our new allies: Yuubari," he said as he waved his hand to her, to which she greeted everyone with a bow, "and Eldridge." Whom of which was still in his arms. She looked to the Shikikan, seemingly given him the okay to put her down. Once settled on her own two feet, she looked at everyone before saluting and bowing as well.

"Ara ara, glad to see you again Yuubari-chan!" Atago came up to hug said girl, who happily hugged her back, but seemed to struggle a bit to breath with her face pressed into Atago's chest. She managed to escape her loving embrace and was able to breathe once more.

"Ha….glad to see some familiar faces at this base. I look forward to working with everyone and _Goshujin_." She smiled as she spoke, feeling happy that she was reunited with her old friends.

"Mhmm….Laffey…."

Eldridge came up to Laffey and hugged her, who happily hugged her back. They both lazily yawned before deciding to walk over to a nearby tree and quickly falling asleep against each other under it.

"Ehehe, it's like we have two Laffeys now huh Shikikan?" Javelin commented happily seeing the two Eagle Union girls reunited once more.

"Sigh, one Laffey is already hard enough.." Z23 sighed a bit before also smiling at the sight of the reunited girls.

"So _Herr Kommandant_, did you enjoy the show?" Eugen asked as she was walking closer to the Shikikan.

"Everyone seems to know their strengths and are more than capable in fighting. I'm really glad you're all on my side." He said with a sincere smile. "Even though I arrived late, I think I have a solid idea of everyone's abilities, which'll be really helpful in ensuring everyone's safety and success on future missions."

"Ehehe…hearing Shikikan say he cares for us makes me super happy." Javelin said as she happily bobbed her head side to side.

"Hoo? _Ja,_ who would you say performed the best then? We never decided who would be the judge for this competition after all." Eugen spoke up, causing everyone who participated in the exercise, including Laffey who woke up hearing what she said, to perk their heads up and home in on Shikikan.

'Yikes way to put the pressure on Eugen.' Shikikan thought as he looked at the smirking Iron Blood cruiser. "Well…..it's hard to say since everyone obviously did well from when I started observing. Everyone showed their strengths and hid their weaknesses well, so it's hard to say right now."

"Is that so? _Ja_, second question, what are my strengths and weaknesses?" Prinz Eugen felt like teasing and testing the Shikikan's observational abilities.

"For you Eugen, your strengths lie in your experienced confidence and your shielding abilities granting you high sustain and survivability. I wouldn't say your firepower is necessarily a weakness, but I would say that you could use some more of it. Were you able to get some better gear with Shiranui?"

'Affinity up!'

Eugen was pleased with his answer. "Impressive _Herr Kommandant_, I'm glad to now know that you are a respectable capable commander." She said with an approving smirk. "And yeah, Shiranui said it should be ready soon. Hope you and your wallet don't regret this _wink_."

"Ahaha…" He didn't know what to say in response except rub the back of his head a bit nervously.

"Shikikan! Shikikan! What about me?" Javelin chimed in hopping up and down wanting to hear his thoughts on her as well.

"Woah there Javelin." He said as he patted her head, much to her enjoyment. "Your evasive abilities made you look really cool as you danced around. Your firepower is strong too, especially with your new torpedoes huh?"

"Hehehe" Javelin was as bubbly as ever hearing him praise her and patting her head.

Unknown to him, the rest of the girls, besides those of the starter squad, were relieved to hear that he seemed to be a capable commander and would happily send their seals of approvals of him to their faction leaders later today.

"So what should be do about the competition results _Herr Kommandant_?" Z23 spoke up.

"Hmm, since I didn't get to see all of the exercise and the newly arrived girls haven't gotten their new gear, how about we call this a draw until everyone is properly geared up? For now though, I should head back to my office and finish the rest of the paperwork there. Great work again everyone, you all are free to relax and go about the rest of the day." He said dismissing the hardworking girls.

The girls seemed satisfied with his answer since it did make a lot of sense to wait until everyone is fairly geared up.

"Ara ara, do you want Onee-san to accompany you, so you don't feel lonely ufufu?" Atago came up and closely hugged one of his arms.

"Ahaha…" A blush on his face was slowly getting more and more visible.

Laffey and Eldridge then came up to him and hugged his waist.

"Laffey worked hard, but she doesn't want to sleep on your office couch….probably."

"Shikikan…up." Eldridge wanted her spot back it seemed.

"Shikikan, can Ayanami come visit you in your office later?"

He patted her head with his free arm. "Of course you can, you're all free to come visit whenever since I'll be there for a while it seems ahaha.."

He ended up having to walk back with Atago still hugging one arm, Eldridge being cradled in the other, and Laffey walking by his side, not that he seemed to mind at all whatsoever. The rest of the girls decided to go about their separate ways before each of them individually decided in their heads to pay a visit to the Shikikan in his office later.

Making his way back, he left the now again asleep Eldridge on the couch where Laffey joined her before she too fell asleep once more.

Atago decided to pull up a chair to the Shikikan's desk and help him with some of the paperwork. She then looked over some of his completed ones for any errors before smiling.

"Ara Shikikan, I expected there to be some errors here and there since you're new and all, but everything looks good, Onee-san is impressed."

"Thanks Atago, Victoria herself had put me through a wringer cramming all the know-hows on running a base and naval tactics. Even though it was pretty rough, it sure did pay off ahaha."

"I'll be honest, Onee-san was kind of hoping to dote on you by helping you get used to office work." She pouted, very cutely in Shikikan's eyes.

"Ahaha, sorry about that, but I really do enjoy your company Atago." He thanked her gratefully with a smile.

'Affinity up!'

"Ara, you're quite the smooth talker Shikikan, Onee-san might have to get a bit more serious ufufu. Say, how about I become your secretary ship since we enjoy being together?" Atago suggested with a happy smile.

"Secretary ship?"

"Ara, you didn't know? A secretary ship is a designated ship girl to help you with your office work since it does get overwhelming at times." She explained.

"Makes sense, but I'd feel kind of bad imposing since you girls already work so hard in the fields. I can only imagine the stress and fatigue from combat you girls' constantly go through, so I really do want you girls to rest as much as possible." He stated his honest thoughts.

Atago's smile widened even more upon hearing that. "Ara ara, Shikikan, us ship girls were made to fight, but hearing you talk about how much you care for us will make Onee-san swoon over you, you know?" She said as she walked over and gave the seated Shikikan a hug, burying his face into her chest.

'I….could _really_ get used to this. It's so comfy, kind of really hard to breath, but still _really, really_ comfy.' He confirmed the hug was bliss in his mind.

"_Daijoubu_ Shikikan, being the secretary ship is kind of like a merit to us since it lets us get to know you better and lets us feel more important in a way. So don't worry too much about imposing on us to be your secretary ship. Okay?" She said as she stroked his hair lovingly as she kept him in her embrace.

'Yep, I could _definitely_ get used to this.' The lucky Shikikan confirmed once more.

"Sounds good and thank you…Atago….Onee-san." The bliss he felt led him to feel a bit more playful.

'Affinity up!' His wristwatch had a notification that said Atago's affinity was now at 74.

"Mmph!" Shikikan's head was pushed deeper into Atago's chest as Atago had hearts in her eyes and a rising blush on her face upon hearing him call her that.

"Mmmm…you're so cute Shikikan! You just keep making Onee-san want to spoil you more and more!" She hummed happily.

Shikikan was starting to struggle to breath, despite the increased bliss he felt.

"Oi Atago! Ease up on the Shikikan! His face is turning purple!"

Takao and Shouhou were making their way to the Shikikan's office to find Atago, only to find her unintentionally suffocating the Shikikan.

"Ara, sorry about that Shikikan, Onee-san lost herself a bit _wink_."

The Shikikan took some breaths before speaking. "No worries, it was mostly my fault ahaha…"

"Ufufu…" Atago giggled.

"…Anyway, Atago we should probably report to Nagato-sama that we arrived safely."

"Ara, look at the time. Where should we go? The dorms?"

"Hey Shikikan, can we do it here? I'm sure everyone back home wants to meet the Shikikan too." Shouhou suggested.

"Sure, I'd be lying if I said wasn't curious ahaha."

"Thank you Shikikan." Takao gave a small bow before moving over to the chairs by the coffee table and setting up her phone for a videocall.

"Nagato-sama, Shouhou, Atago, and I have arrived safely at the Azur Lane base and are ready to report."

"_Otsukaresama_ _des_." A young yet dignified-sounding voice spoke up. "Were you able to meet the Shikikan as of yet?"

The Shikikan looked up from his papers out of curiosity.

"_Hai_, we actually met him about halfway on our journey here." Atago spoke up.

"Oh? Why?" Another young yet carefree sounding voice commented.

"He and some of the other girls were responding to a rescue request signal they got." Shouhou chimed in.

"The ones who sent the signal are now up and well after sustaining some injuries. There _were_ some additional issues _however_ ufufu…" Atago chuckled with a devious smirk as she glanced over to Takao, who immediately went blue, picked up on what her sister was insinuating.

"….and these issues were….?" The dignified voice questioned suspiciously.

The girls then retold everything that had gone down from when they met the Shikikan in detail up until now.

"Ney Takao, why'd you attack Shikikan? Why?" The carefree voiced inquired at the end of the recollection.

"Takao! You should've listened to Atago and Souryuu when they recommended that you should rest! Now look at what you've done! What if the Shikikan will think poorly of the Sakura Empire now because of this?" The dignified voice roared.

Before Takao could beg for forgiveness, the Shikikan decided to step in and speak up.

"Umm, sorry for interrupting you, but I don't think poorly of either Takao or the Sakura Empire from what happened yesterday. Like I told Takao, I was more happy learning that she deeply cherishes her friends and allies and will not hesitate in saving them from any dangers." The Shikikan then decided to walk over to where the girls were and looked directly into the camera broadcasting the videocall. He saw two young girls sitting on their legs side by side with massive rigging behind them on the other end, one with long black hair and one with short black hair. "On behalf of Takao, please don't punish her for trying to protect her friends. I'm not mad at all, I promise." He smiled.

"Are you the Shikikan? I am I am Nagato, the flagship of the Sakura Empire's Combined Fleet. As the leader of the Sakura Empire, I sincerely apologize for Takao's actions." She bowed her head.

"P-please raise your head! Like I said, I'm truly not mad whatsoever. No one was hurt and everyone returned safely back here. And in all honesty, knowing firsthand how strong ship girls are was something I needed to learn personally ahaha…" He tried to calm her down.

Nagato lifted her head and was seemingly gauging the Shikikan. She spoke after a few seconds of observations. "Thank you for your gracious mercy. I now understand why Ayanami gave such quick approval of you." She smiled.

"Ney ney, Shikikan, how come your eyes are a pretty purple? They look like crystals! Why do they look like that? Why?" The other girl questioned.

"Oi Mutsu…" Nagato started.

"Umm…I'm not sure as to how to answer to why but thank you for the compliment ahaha."

"Isn't it because of your parents' eye colors?" Shouhou suggested.

"I don't know, I can't seem to remember much." He said with a small sad smile.

"Why? Are you okay?" Mutsu asked, seemingly a bit concerned.

"Shikikan, I can explain it to them if you don't want to…" Atago spoke up wanting to help the Shikikan after noticing his sad smile.

"Thank you Atago." His smile changed to a grateful one. "But, it's okay, really. It's better to get this out of the way and off my chest myself I think."

He then explained his tragic past to everyone present in the room. Upon finishing he, heard a small sniffle.

"S-sorry Shikikan…_sniff_.." Mutsu was feeling very guilty for bringing this up.

"D-don't worry!" He wanted to pet her head but obviously couldn't do so over the videocall. "It's not your fault, plus I'd rather put this in past and push forward as soon as possible. I didn't mean to hide it, but it's hard to find a right time to say this without completely ruining the mood, you know?" He tried to cheer up the innocent little girl crying for his sake.

"_Sniff_….-t-thank you Shikikan!" Mutsu cheered up a bit.

"Those abhorred Sirens…to do such unspeakable things to civilians is sickening…Shikikan, you've been put through far too much that you shouldn't have had to go through. I sincerely commend your unbreakable spirit and hereby promise as leader of the Sakura Empire, that I will do my utmost to fight alongside you and bring swift justice upon those cruel monsters!" Nagato declared loudly.

"Thank you Nagato, it's really relieving to hear someone of your stature say that." He smiled gratefully.

Nagato began to blush a bit before looking away. "_T-tonikaku_! The closer we get to finishing fortification of Sakura Empire lands, the more Sakura Empire ships I shall have sent back over to the Azur Lane base. I've had some more stationed closer to the base prepare to journey back. They should be there by nightfall tonight. Until we meet in person, please continue to take care of us from the Sakura Empire." She and Mutsu bowed graciously before ending the call.

[With Nagato and Mutsu]

"Ney ney Nagato-nee! Shikikan seems really nice!"

"Agreed, I can rest easily now knowing that the Sakura Empire girls are under capable hands." She blushed as she secretly wished for all of the fortifications to be done soon so that she can go meet him too.

"Ney Nagato-nee, are you wishing you weren't busy with paperwork so you can go meet the Shikikan too? How come?" Mutsu knew her elder sister all too well.

"N-Nonsense! I simply had some thoughts on my mind a-about…other things! Come Mutsu, we have much to do!" Nagato tried to dissuade her rather perceptually sister.

[Back at Azur Lane base]

'For someone so small, she sure commands quite the presence, what with that huge rigging of hers behind her.' He wondered how Nagato was able to carry around such heavy looking gear.

He looked over to the Sakura Empire girls present in the room looking despondent, most likely due to hearing his tragic past. He walked over and gave Shouhou a head-pat and looking at Takao and Atago.

"Don't worry everyone, I did have to go through a lot, but I've been getting a lot better ever since I arrived here and met all of you. I can rest easy knowing I have the best allies anyone could ask ever ask for." He continued patting the two girls' heads who were a bit too shy and stubborn to admit that they were enjoying it.

Takao smiled upon hearing how much he believes in her. "I won't let you down Shikikan!"

"S-shikikan! I'm not a child!" Shouhou seemed to have a mixed expression of enjoyment and embarrassment.

"Ara, I can take your place if you want Shouhou-chan."

"N-No! It's not like I dislike this, but I….nnnn." She was struggling to find the right words.

The overall mood in the room lightened up after hearing Shouhou's distress.

"Also, you all are free to enter now!" Shikikan spoke as he looked at the door.

There were a couple of gasps and 'eep' sounds before the door opened to reveal Javelin, Z23, Prinz Eugen, and the Hai sisters.

'How does he always know?' Everyone at the door couldn't believe his intuition. The Hai sisters were surprised as well but decided not to question it since they felt guilty for eavesdropping and overhearing everything he said. Ning Hai was about to speak up, but the Shikikan spoke up first.

"Sorry you two had to hear such a sad story, but like I said, it's hard to find a good time to tell everyone. And really don't worry about me, as long as you girls are around, I'm really not too worried about facing them again." He smiled at them as he tried to ease their guilty consciences.

"Actually, if possible, could I ask everyone to relay what I've told Nagato to your respective faction leaders? I think it be best everyone knew as soon possible rather than left in the dark until they arrive here."

"Yes sir!" They all saluted.

"Thanks everyone, but enough of the sad stuff for now. How about we all go for lunch?" He suggested to switch gears.

Laffey and Eldridge jumped off the couch, now seemingly wide awake upon hearing lunch.

Everyone bursted out laughing seeing the carefree duo act in perfect synergy before they all headed to enjoy lunch at the canteen prepared by the miracle working Manjuus and the Shikikan.

"Mhm, Shikikan! I can't wait for everyone in the Royal Navy to come back and try your cooking! I can't get enough of how great it always is!" Javelin said as she happily took another bite of her omurice.

Shikikan responded by patting her head as she continued to eat. "Thanks Javelin, but speaking of which, how are things going in everyone's territories? Any word from your friends?" He questioned curiously.

"After the exercise, I spoke with Queen Elizabeth and she said that thanks to everyone's hard work, they should be ahead of schedule and should be fully done by the end of the week! She also said that she sent some of the maids from the Maid Corps and a few others stationed nearby here in advance. They should be here by tomorrow morning!" The bubbly destroyer said as she happily anticipated more from her faction to arrive soon.

'Maid Corps? Sounds interesting, yet kind of scary in a way.' He wanted to ask but thought it be better to see for himself tomorrow.

"Good to hear. How about everyone else from Iron Blood and the Eagle Union?"

"When I had left yesterday, fortifications were pretty much done and all that was left is the paperwork confirming everything. That said, Tirpitz sent me a message an hour ago saying that she is about to send everyone but herself here since they have 'nothing else to do here'. My guess is that they'll arrive by tomorrow night." Eugen said as she cut another piece of her steak and downed a whole glass of beer afterwards. "Mhmm _Herr Kommandant_, won't you join me for drinks?" She asked as she leaned a bit closer into his space.

"Maybe later, it's still noon and I have paperwork to do still ahaha…"

_Ring Ring_

Laffey took out her phone and read the message. "Ohhh, Eagle Union finished fortifications and are all heading here now. Laffey thinks they will arrive by tomorrow at noon." She said in a monotone voice, but her eyes and Eldridge's said otherwise as they sparkled with joy upon hearing the news.

"Yay! Everyone's slowly but surely making their way back here! I can't wait." Javelin cheered. She wasn't the only one excited since everyone present seemed excited to have more people on the large base.

'I'm looking forward to meeting everyone, but I can't help but worry about whether or not there's still some grudges these girls are harboring. Victoria said that Azur Lane and Crimson Axis were previously at war and only recently joined forces to fight the Sirens so I'm sure there's still some issues between the two. Either way though, nothing else I can do except do my best and make sure everyone feels welcomed for now.' Shikikan determined as he made up his mind to unite everyone to the best of his abilities.

"Alright girls, I should head back and get that pile of papers off my desk so I can properly greet our new allies once they arrive. That said, I noticed some quick commissions I will need to have you girls sortie for later today, but other than that feel free to take it easy for now. If you need anything, my office door is always open for you girls." He said before taking his leave. The other girls chatted together a bit more afterwards before they too left.

[With Javelin]

After leaving the canteen, Javelin decided to take a walk to the dockyards to walk off all the delicious food she just ate.

'I should ask Shikikan to teach me how to cook sometime ehehe. Oh! I should probably inform Queen Elizabeth that more ship girls are on their way here.' She said as she whipped out her phone and called her.

"Hello Your Highness! I hope I am not bothering you right now, but do you have some time? I have some reports to give."

"Good day Javelin, We are currently at lunch but are still free to chat. What reports do you have?" Queen Elizabeth was currently sitting at a table with her fellow Royal Navy members and maids attending to them. She had her phone on speaker phone for all of them to hear.

Javelin began to retell everything that happened since her last report, from the rescue mission to the joint exercise and finally to the news of the other factions nearing completion of their territory fortification projects. And with the Shikikan's previous request and approval, she told them about his past.

"And that's about everything for my report today Your Highness!"

Queen Elizabeth was silent for a bit before speaking up. "Hood, how much longer did you say was left on our fortifications?"

"We have made excellent progress thus far, enough to be ahead of schedule by about two weeks Your Majesty." An elegant voice spoke up to being called.

"…And Javelin, you said Sakura Empire has already sent three of theirs there and are having more arrive later tonight?"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"And that Iron Blood was sending everyone save for Tirpitz herself back to base right now?"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Javelin was starting to wonder what was on Her Majesty's mind.

"And that Eagle Union was completely done and sending everyone back to the base as well?"

"…Yes, Your Highness, is something wrong?" Javelin expressed her concerns.

"…W-e-WE are NOT amused!" Queen Elizabeth raised her voice surprising Javelin, while everyone at the table either sighed or giggled at Queen Elizabeth's outburst.

"W-what's the matter Your Majesty!?" Javelin jumped hearing her shout.

"The fact that Sakura Empire have theirs arrived at base with more incoming is already disconcerting enough, but the fact that Eagle Union is already done with their fortifications and that most of Iron Blood will be arriving on base by tomorrow while We at the Royal Navy have yet to have anyone but yourself there is almost preposterous. We cannot stand by while the Shikikan is swayed over to the other factions and not the Royal Navy! Hood! Tell everyone to get to work on the double and finish everything by the end of this week!"

"Your Majesty, if I may, everyone has already put in their all just to get ahead of schedule. To ask them to work even harder might lead to some issues." A beautiful fair-skinned lady in a elegant white dress and white sunhat tried to reason with Elizabeth, but to no avail.

"Do not fret Illustrious! For We are aware of Our servants' hard efforts and are prepared. Belfast to me!"

A silver haired beauty in maid attire spoke up. "Yes, Your Highness."

"Take out 10% of all he gold from Our personal treasury and offer it to the servants. Tell them that if they manage to get everything done by the end of this week or better yet even sooner, the gold will be given them as compensation for their hard work."

"Right away Your Highness." She bowed before leaving to immediately get to work on her assigned task.

"Your Majesty, I understand your concerns, but wouldn't you say this is a bit too hasty?"

"Poppycock Warspite! If another faction plants their stake with the Shikikan, then he might lean towards them and provide them with special treatment and not W-Us at the Royal Navy! We won't stand for that!" Queen Elizabeth let her true worries slip a bit.

Everyone at the table and Javelin, now realizing their leader's intent on speeding up the project, either sighed or began to giggle uncontrollably.

"Ahem! With that said, Illustrious! Wales! King George V!" Elizabeth called out.

"Yes Your Majesty!" Those called responded immediately.

"We ask of you three to head back to Azur Lane base along with Belfast, Sheffield, Edinburgh, and Unicorn, and establish a Royal Navy presence there."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" They all bowed before excusing themselves to begin preparations to head to the base.

"Um, I don't think the Shikikan is that type of person ahaha…" Javelin was at a loss but was happy to hear even more from the Royal Navy are on their way now."

"Do not fret Javelin, We will not let the Shikikan's heart be swayed anywhere else but towards the Royal Navy!" Queen Elizabeth was lost in her own world.

Javelin gave up on trying to convince her any further. "Well, um, that ends my report. I wish Your Highness well and I look forward to seeing everyone again!"

"Good work again Javelin, you may now go about your day. Do keep in touch with any other important information you stumble upon." She said before hanging up.

[With the Royal Navy]

'To be taken as a prisoner by the Sirens, to risk his own life for a ship girl in danger, and to have Javelin sing nothing but praises of you, We truly do look forward to meeting you Ourselves new serv-Shikikan.' Elizabeth didn't seem to notice the happy blush she had on her face.

'What an interesting fellow, to go through all he had and yet still be able to be kind hearted enough to have Javelin sing praises of him, you've piqued my interest quite a bit Shikikan' The elegant voice from earlier now known as Hood secretly hoped to meet this man for herself soon enough.

'He was an innocent bystander caught up in the Siren's schemes and was put through far too much in such a dark, scary place with no help to come for years. Despite all that, he managed to escape and still be able to treat the girls there so well with a smile. Rest assured Shikikan, I will not allow you to ever have to go through such darkness by yourself ever again.' Illustrious steeled her resolve to meet the man she was unknowingly beginning to admire even before meeting him.

'Hooo, I wonder how true are Javelin's praises of your cooking Shikikan. I look forward to meeting you and your seemingly unbreakable will and kind heart, Shikikan.' King George V couldn't help but want to hurry and get to the base.

[With Laffey and Eagle Union]

"And that's all Laffey has to report." Laffey was currently with Eldridge on a video call with the Eagle Union girls she spoke to on her call yesterday.

The group of girls in question plus some had all but just left their home territory for the base. Laffey had called them after lunch and told them what she overheard as she was half-asleep what Shikikan requested of the girls. She told them of his past and everything that happened after her call yesterday.

"Those monsters….How could they do something so cruel!?" The blonde tomboy had some tears in her eyes after hearing the Shikikan's past and was currently being consoled by the bluenette from yesterday's call.

"Cleveland….I feel the same way as you, but the most important thing right now is getting back and making sure that no one has to go through what he has. That said I'm still a bit concerned about the Shikikan though..."

"_sniff_…thanks Helena, sorry for looking like an idiot there aha.."

"Don't be Cleve" She smiled warmly at her big-hearted friend.

"….He went through all that and is still able to be as nice as he is. It even seems like he's doting on Laffey, Eldridge, and the others too! What do you think Enty-nee?" The blonde twin tailed girl asked her sister.

"Those Sirens have always been awful, but this time they've gone way too far. He's only human and yet he managed to go through hell and make it back in one piece. Despite all that, he has the strength to move forward and not turn back. I haven't even met him yet but I think he's going to be a good commander." The silver haired beauty replied with her honest thoughts.

"Mo, Enterprise-chan, you should learn to be more honest with yourself and say that you are interested in meeting him!" A shorter silver haired girl in an elegant nun attire chastised.

"W-Wha..!?" She blushed in surprise. "I-it's not like that! I just think that he'll have a good head on his shoulders that's all!"

The mood brightened up between the girls at her outburst as they laughed and giggled.

"Well anyway Laffey, Eldridge, we will try to make it by noon tomorrow, so try not to cause too much trouble for the Shikikan okay? See you soon." The caring bluenette expressed her concerns and bid the two destroyers farewell for now.

"Kayyy" The two lazily responded before the call ended.

{With Iron Blood}

Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin has just finished speaking with Prinz Eugen and Z23. They had told her all about the Shikikan and his past and all the event after Z23's report yesterday.

"Those Sirens truly have no limits…" Tirpitz frowned hearing about what they did to the Shikikan.

"…Shikikan and I are quite alike, and yet we are not. To be hated by the world and sent through nothing but darkness and pain, and yet he's able to smile and think brightly of the future instead of cursing fate, I have no words to describe this sense of confusion." Graf Zeppelin was truly at a loss since Shikikan was able to retain his sense of hope for the future instead of loathing fate.

"Perhaps it be best for you to go as well Graf. You might be able to clear the confusion by meeting him yourself." Tirpitz suggested.

"You might be right, but are you sure you'll be alright by yourself Tirpitz?"

"The fortifications are done, and I just have these papers to complete before I too can head to the base."

Graf Zeppelin looked over to the stack of papers before grabbing about half and carrying it with her to a nearby table and pulling up a chair. "Then it'll be faster if we split this work. The others have already left, and I suppose this would be more efficient rather than going by ourselves separately." She said before getting to work.

"…Thank you Graf.." Tirpitz had a ghost of a smile on her lips before she too got back to work. 'Shikikan, while our situations differ, I can't help but feel some sort of relatedness to you. Is this because we both were left out in the cold for so long? Or is this something else entirely...?' Tirpitz pondered what she was feeling before she finally managed to focus at the task at hand.

{With Ning Hai and Ping Hai}

The two were currently in the middle of a stroll around the base.

"Nee-chan, what should we do?"

"About what Ping Hai?"

"Shikikan said we should report to our leaders, but who would that be for us?"

"I….I'm not sure. As far as I know, Yat-sen-jie is our guardian, but I don't know if she counts as the leader, let alone where she even is right now." Ning Hai was at a loss.

"Yat-sen-jie is strong, she might just be busy somewhere."

"Yeah, I'm sure we'll meet her again Ping Hai, but for now we should focus on getting stronger and helping the Shik—I mean getting stronger _period_." Ning Hai panicked since she was too embarrassed to say she felt the desire to get stronger for him.

"Hmm, Nee-chan, Ping Hai wants to get stronger for Shikikan too! He saved us, gave us a lot of tasty _baozi_, and is really nice." The more honest of the two easily spoke her mind.

"Y-you're right, we should work hard in order to repay him back! Let's go for a run Ping Hai!" She said before taking off in a sprint.

"_Shì_ nee-chan!" She said before chasing after her.

* * *

**Apologies for the long delay everyone! So much for a few days lol…..holidays, work, life, and Swirling Cherry Blossom event got to me XD. I'm back now though and am hard at work on the next chapter. Idk when that will be done, but please do put up with my erratic process :D **

**Please favorite, follow, comment, and look forward to next time on Azur Lane fanfic: An Unsung Legend Chapter 7: The Four Factions Assemble (Part 3 (of 3))!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The Four Factions Assemble! (Part 3 of 3)**

**Hey y'all I'm back! **

**I found some time to fix some grammatical errors and added in new author notes in previous chapters that should make it better for both new readers and re-reading!**

**I've kept y'all waiting long enough, so have at it!**

* * *

"Instead of judging others based on rumors and gossip articles, I must look and feel for myself. You cannot know anyone without coming face-to-face with them." - Haine Wittgenstein, The Royal Tutor

* * *

A few hours after leaving the canteen for the stacks of paper in his office, the Shikikan finally managed to sort it all and prep them for submission.

"And….done." He said as he signed and stamped off the last papers.

"Great work Shikikan! As for your reward for your hard work, come over here." Atago said as she took a seat on the couch and patted her lap. She had come after lunch and offered to be his secretary after finishing off about ten more tempura udon bowls once he had left. He was glad he did since she was a huge help in helping him get everything done twice as fast.

The Shikikan looked at her and then at her lap before putting the pieces together and a rising blush appearing on his face. "Um I don't know Atago…" He hesitated since he was alone in a room with a beautiful girl offering him her lap.

"_Daijoubu_ Shikikan, everyone else is still busy doing their commissions you sent them out on and won't be back until later tonight. No need to be shy now, come rest your head on Onee-san's lap and let her clean your ears for you. I promise you that you'll _love_ _it_ ufufu." She said as she took out an ear pick with a cotton ball on the opposite end of the pick.

'….Of course I want to, but…..eh, who am I kidding? Hopefully no one comes in and sees.' The Shikikan surrendered his rather weak opposition before walking over and lying down on Atago's lap.

'So soft and she smells so nice..' He felt his entire being relaxing completely.

Atago skillfully began to clean his ears as she gently stroked his head.

"How does it feel Shikikan? Are you feeling itchy anywhere?" She spoke softly.

"….I think I'm gonna melt….." The Shikikan had turned into a blob as he very much enjoyed the ear cleaning and lap pillow reward.

"Ufufu, that's fine too." Atago giggled before gently blowing into his ear. "There all done, turn over so I can get your left side now Shikikan."

This feeling of absolute bliss was new to the Shikikan as he turned over as per her request.

"Feel free to fall asleep Shikikan. You've earned it. Onee-san will be with you always." Her voice was immensely soothing and hypnotic as he slowly began to fall into a deep sleep.

"Ara Shikikan, if you make such a cute face like that, Onee-san won't be able to resist pampering you more and more." She said as she patted the Shikikan's head as he slept in pure bliss on her lap.

A few hours later…

The Shikikan woke to realize that he fell asleep on Atago's lap. He looked up and noticed that she too was asleep. Trying his best to not wake her up, he carefully got up, gently moved her so that she was now lying down, and then grabbed a blanket, covering the sleeping beauty.

Realizing that the others will be back soon from the commissions, he decided to head out, but not before looking back at the seemingly still fast asleep Atago.

"Thanks for the great reward Atago. I feel as good as new thanks to you." He said with a grateful smile before gently closing the door.

Back in the room, Atago had a hand on her reddened, smiling face. "Ufufu Shikikan, you really are too cute."

The Shikikan made his way to the dockyard, where he found Akashi looking out into the setting sun.

"Hey Akashi, did you want to welcome back the others too?"

"Nya? Oh Shikikan! Hai nya, one of my jobs as a repair ship is to make sure everyone and their gear are all in good condition nya."

"Thanks for all your hard work Akashi." The Shikikan said as he patted the cat girl, who purred happily at the warm touch.

"How was your first day on the job Shikikan?"

"Lots of paperwork, but nothing I can't handle. Plus, Atago lent me a hand so I finished earlier than I expected, which is great since I'll be able to prepare for the welcome parties for the new and returning girls coming tonight and tomorrow."

"Nya? Did you appoint her as your secretary ship nya?"

"Yep, she offered and I'm glad she did, she's really efficient and knows all the ins and outs. I just hope I don't end up relying on her too much though ahaha…" He said while rubbing his head.

Two arms suddenly wrapped around his neck and a very soft sensation was pressed onto his back. "Ara Shikikan, Onee-san doesn't mind doting on you more you knowwww." Atago said as she gave him a quick surprise.

The Shikikan was beginning to blush wildly in her embrace. "A-Atago!? I thought you were still asleep." He stuttered.

"Onee-san can't seem to sleep very well without her Shikikan in her arms." She said with a loving smirk and deepening the hug, turning the Shikikan's face into a very dark shade of red.

Akashi turned away from the two when she noticed multiple figures in the distance coming towards them. "Shikikan, they're back nya!"

"Oi!" Javelin's voice called out to the three on the docks as she was frantically waving from the front of the group of returning girls.

"Welcome back everyone, how'd it all go?" Shikikan greeted them all as they landed on the docks.

"Escort mission was a success _des_. There was a Siren blockade but the new gear we got made quick work of them _des_." Ayanami walked up and gave her report.

"The rewards are en route and will be here by tomorrow." Z23 added.

"Excellent work girls." Shikikan said as he head-patted the two girls in front of him. Ayanami enjoyed it openly while Z23 seemed flustered but did not say or do anything against it.

"How about your group Eugen? Takao?"

"Nothing except small fry Siren ships on the patrol." Eugen yawned.

"Resource extraction was successful. No enemies dared to come forth either. That said, did Atago give you any trouble Shikikan?"

"Nope, in fact, she offered to be my secretary ship and helped me finish off that pile of papers in my office."

"I see….but still Atago, please get off the Shikikan. Your bothering him."

"Ara Takao-chan, you're free to come join me you know? No need to try to restrain yourself just because I'm here _wink_"

"H-how shameless!" Takao was only a bit flustered hearing her sister suggest such a thing.

"You're as innocent as ever Takao-chan ufufu." Atago couldn't help but continue to tease her straightforward sister.

"_Ja_, well don't mind if I do then." Eugen came up and wrapped her arms around his. "Won't you come have some drinks with me Shikikan?" Eugen' eyes had a hint of mischief, but also had a small sparkle of hope in them.

Even with a reddening face and rapidly increasing heartbeat, he managed a response. "S-sure, but later though, I want to set up welcome parties for the incoming girls tonight and tomorrow too."

"Oh! Are we having a party tomorrow Shikikan!?" Javelin asked with excitement in her sparkling eyes as she ran up to him.

"Yeah, I thought it be a good idea to have welcoming parties for each of the factions since they all are arriving at different times. They're all coming back from a long mission essentially, so it be a good chance for them to unwind and for me to get to know them all. But don't tell them though, it be better as a surprise after all."

"Yay sounds like so much fun! I can't wait! Anything I can do to help Shikikan?" Javelin was practically bursting with energy and excitement.

"Actually yeah, setting up is the easy part thanks to the Manjuus, but could I ask you all to let me know what the incoming girls like and dislike? This will be a good way to congratulate everyone on a job well done too after all."

The discussions were held in the Shikikan's office and he made mental notes of everyone's preferences. He gave his orders to the Manjuus so they could begin preparations and he gave the girls the go ahead to relax and rest up for the day.

'Alright the nap I took earlier today should really help me get everything done no problem. The Wisdom cube transformations are much faster now and the next two should be ready by tomorrow at noon. I wonder which faction they'll be from, since it would be unfair for them to miss out on their faction's welcoming party after all. Can't do anything about it now though, so I just have to improvise if I need to.' The Shikikan was currently carefully planning everything out.

Knock Knock. "Shikikan?"

"Come in!"

The door opened to reveal Ayanami.

"Shikikan, Ayanami was informed that the Sakura Empire girls will be arriving on time _des_. Is there anything else Ayanami can do to help _des_?"

"I think I'm all set, but I'm about to head to the canteen to begin dinner preparations if you want to come along."

The two made their way to the canteen, where Ayanami was mesmerized as she watched the Shikikan dance around the kitchen getting everything ready.

"Hey Ayanami, can you taste this and let me know if it's too salty?" He had a pair of chopsticks in his hands holding what seemed to be salmon.

Ayanami blushed a bit before opening her mouth and letting the Shikikan feed her. "_ Oishī_ des." Ayanami said with a happy smile.

'Her smile is so precious…' The Shikikan thought before shaking his head clear. "Good to hear, now all that's left are the tempuras…" The Shikikan went back to dancing elegantly around the kitchen.

"Shikikan, is there anything Ayanami can do to help….des?"

"Hmm…want to help me prepare the miso soup?" He asked before she came over to where he was.

"Could you cut up all of this tofu?" He asked her before going over to grab her a knife, but as he was turning back, he noticed Ayanami had manifested her rigging sword and was about to swing down.

"Bear witness to the true power of the 'Demon'".

"Ww-ait Ayanami!" He exclaimed, successfully stopping her from seemingly cutting not only the tofu, but the entire table with sword.

'Phew' he exhaled in relief before smiling and walking over to the confused Ayanami. He gave her the knife and went behind her before gently placing his hands on hers.

"Here take this knife and move it over to the tofu like this. Now just cut down swiftly here….and then here…and then horizontally…and done!"

Ayanami was blushing heavily from being so close to the Shikikan and basically holding hands.

Unknown to the two, by the doorway were the other girls from the starter squad.

"No fair Ayanami-chan! I wanted to cook with Shikikan too." Javelin pouted cutely.

"Ayanami, good job." Laffey said with a thumbs up and knowing smile.

"I don't think this was her plan Laffey..." Z23 guessed but had an adorable jealous pout on her face.

"Think you can handle the rest Ayanami?" The Shikikan asked.

"_Hai_ des!" Afterwards, Ayanami had successfully cut up all the tofu and began boiling them in the large pot holding the miso soup broth.

Washing his hands, he came up to Ayanami and patted her head. "Great work Ayanami, you really helped me save some time there. Thank you."

_Affinity Up!_

Ayanami seemingly had flowers and song notes floating out of her head as he patted her head.

Alright everything's ready. Could you contact them and ask where they are Ayanami?"

"_Hai _des."

After stepping out to call, she came back a few minutes later.

"They see the lights on the base and will be here soon…des!"

"They're earlier then I expected, could I ask you to distract them somehow while I get everything plated and set?"

"How _des_?" Ayanami tilted her head

"Leave it to me Shikikan!" Javelin exclaimed in the doorway with a salute before rushing out.

"Wha!? Wait Javelin! Um, excuse us and sorry Shikikan!" Z23 bowed in apologetically before running after Javelin.

"….Laffey is not here….." Laffey 'sneaked' away.

"…..Maybe you should go with them and make sure they don't do anything too crazy ahahaa….."

"_Hai_…des" Ayanami was about to go past the double doors before turning around to the Shikikan. "Thank you for taking care of everyone Shikikan." She gave him a bright smile before bowing and going after her friends.

"Too cute…all of them really…" The Shikikan smiled warmly before assembling the Manjuus and getting everything ready on the double.

Out by the dockyards, the starter squad, Akashi, and Shiranui can be seen waiting for the incoming Sakura Empire ship girls making their way towards them.

"Any sign of them?" Yuubari asked as she joined up everyone else.

"Nop—wait! They're they are nya!" Akashi said as she spotted six figures making their way to them.

""Oi!"" Two girls were waving frantically upon seeing friendly faces awaiting them on the dockyard. The first was a tall beauty with long brown hair tied in a ponytail dressed in a short red dress under an elegant white garment. The other was a young girl with black hair and cat ears dressed in a black and red Sakura Empire shrine priestess attire.

"Zuikaku! Yamashiro! Nya? Oh! And Shoukaku, Fusou, Ise, and Hyuuga too nya!" Akashi exclaimed as she managed to make out the other four figures behind the two in the front.

Upon arriving at the docks, the six Sakura Empire girls jumped out of the water and walked towards the awaiting group, well except for one.

"Ayanami-chan! Akashi-chan!" One of them exclaimed before she began running to the two girls, but she unfortunately tripped over her own two feet and faceplanted on the dock.

"Yamashiro!" Ayanami and the rest of the awaiting girls ran over to the fallen klutzy, yet very cute, girl.

"_Daijoubu_?" Ayanami was the first to make it over to her.

"Owiiee. Sorry for worrying you all. I'm used to falling a lot ehehe…." She said with an airheaded smile and embarrassed flush.

"Mo, Yamashiro, you really should try to be more careful." The pale beauty dressed in similar attire to Yamashiro spoke up.

"_Gomen_, Fusou nee-sama! I got too excited teehee. But anyway Akashi-chan! Ayanami-chan!" Yamashiro said before squeezing them into a hug.

"Nya! Too t-tightt-nya!" Akashi was startled at the suddenness while Ayanami happily hugged her friend back.

"I'm glad to see everyone again." Yuubari spoke up as she walked towards the group of Sakura Empire girls.

"Ohhh! Yuubari-chan! You're here too!?" Yamashiro said before quickly dashing over to glomp her as well.

"_Hai_, I woke up yesterday thanks to Goshujin's efforts." Yuubari said with a bow to her fellow Sakura Empire ships.

"Good to see you again Yuubari! And the rest of you girls as well." Zuikaku said as she joined in on the hugs as well. "Speaking of the Shikikan, what's he like? Kawakaze told me and Shoukaku-nee that he's a good person, but Id be lying if I said I wasn't worried about the story they us about his past…"

"_Daijoubu_, Shikikan trusts us and Ayanami trusts Shikikan _des_. He's nice, treats us well, and works really hard _des._" Ayanami had a happy sincere smile on her face as spoke her honest feelings.

"Wow, if Ayanami says all that about the guy, he sure must be something. Let's hurry and go meet him Ise nee-san!" The silver haired girl with half her top exposed to reveal a cloth breast band underneath voiced her curiosity.

"Yeah, I feel the same, race ya there!" She said before beginning to dash away.

"No fair nee-san!" Hyuuga began the chase

""W-Wait!"" Javelin and Z23 said before looking at each other. The Shikikan entrusted them to stall for time while he finished setting up, but they really weren't sure as to how. They then looked to Laffey, who yawned lazily and seemingly in her own little world, and Ayanami, who much like them, was also at a loss.

"Look out nya!" Akashi said as she noticed a familiar blonde little girl in the way of the two speeding ship girls coming right for her.

"Mhm!" Eldridge was so startled that she began to generate electricity before accidentally sending out a shockwave at the two girls.

It was super effective!

The two girls were quickly shocked to a stop before they both dizzily fell off the dock into the water.

"Ise! Hyuuga!" Zuikaku screamed before she and everyone else went over to retrieve the two fallen girls.

After fishing them out, Eldridge came over to bow her head apologetically.

"I-its fine, it was our fault for not being careful, right Hyuuga?" Ise regained her consciousness from the sudden jolt she got.

"Y-yeah, sorry about startling you ehehee…" Hyuuga had a hand on the back of her head and an awkward smile on her face.

Ding!

The starter squad all received a text message on their phone simultaneously that informed them that the Shikikan just finished all the preparations and asking them to bring everyone to the Sakura Empire dorm.

"Yay! We did it-I mean the Shikikan is ready-I -I mean the Shikikan is awaiting everyone's arrival in the canteen! Ehehe…." Javelin was flustered at her inability to maintain a secret.

"Sigh, well anyway, let's hurry and head over so we don't leave Shikikan waiting." Z23 said before leading the group of girls to the Sakura Empire dorm. Upon arrival, the Manjuus can be seen waiting for them. They fluttered towards the group of girls before hopping up and down, seemingly telling them to follow them as they fluttered back to the dorm entrance. Going inside they followed the Manjuus to the dining area of the Sakura Empire dorm, where upon sliding open the door, the group of girls were bombarded with the fragrant and abundant Sakura Empire cuisine before them. The tables were completely filled with plates of grilled salmon, kaarage, fried pork and shrimp cutlets, shrimp and vegetable tempura, and many add-ons such as large pots of miso soup and steamed rice.

The newly arrived Sakura Empire girls were unable to speak as they were seemingly hypnotized by the hunger-inducing fragrance and display before them.

"S-Shoukaku-nee! Look at all the tempura!" Zuikaku said as she was floating towards the table.

"Ise-nee-san there's a crate full of sake over there!"

"Ohhh! I'm starting to like this Shikikan already ahahaaa."

"Shikikan sure did go all out with dinner tonight nyaa." Akashi commented as the starter squad all shook their heads in agreeance and their stomachs growling simultaneously.

At that moment, the side door opened up to reveal the Shikikan stepping out to greet them all.

"Hello everyone, welcome to Azur Lane base! I'm the Shikikan and I look forward to working with you all, but for now please go ahead and take a seat, unwind, and enjoy the food I made." He smiled before giving a small Sakura Empire style bow.

'Wow, they're all so pretty….' He thought as he looked at his new Sakura Empire ship girls before shaking his head in realization that he was unintentionally staring at them. The new girls didn't seem to notice, well except for one aircraft carrier that is.

"Ufufu, _konbonwa_ Shikikan, I am Shoukaku, the flagship of the Fifth Carrier Division. Please take care of me from now on _wink_." She bowed before walking towards the Shikikan until her face was only a few inches away from his. Her sapphire colored eyes staring into his amethysts.

"I look forward to working with you, but umm, you're a bit close ahaha…" He sweat dropped as he was slowly beginning to blush from being so close to such a pretty girl.

Shoukaku's smile widened as her eyes sparkled with mischief and curiosity. "_Gomenasai_ Shikikan, your eyes are just so dazzling that I couldn't help but want to get a closer look ufufu…"

"T-thank you, but I think your eyes are much prettier." He managed to say with only a slight stutter. Shoukaku had a light blush on her snow-white skin as she let out a small satisfied giggle.

[Affinity up!]

"Why thank you Shikikan. Please do look forward to the future achievements of the Sakura Empire's Fifth Carrier Division _wink_." She said before walking past him.

Shikikan took a quick deep breathe to gather himself before speaking up. "A-anyway, how about the rest of you? After we finish introductions, we can all dig in."

"Wa! It's the Lord, the real Lord! Umm...I am...uhh, I'm...Yamashiro! I'll be in your care!" She panicked a bit before bowing.

"Guess I'll go next. I am Sakura Empire Carrier Divisions' last elite, Zuikaku! However, I can only be at my best when I am with my sister Shoukaku, commander. Please take care of me from now on." She said with a bow and happy smile.

The rest of the new Sakura Empire girls followed suit.

"I'm the last battleship in the Sakura Empire Navy who fired a full salvo — Ise of the Ise-class battleships!"

"I'm the little sister of my stupid big sister —ahh, that doesn't mean that I'm the stupid little sister alright! Anyhow, I'm Hyuuga, I'll be in your care." She said before Ise laughed and had her in a headlock.

"Greetings Milord, Fusou has been waiting for a long time. This must be guidance from the gods – from now on, I'll be in your care." She said with a graceful bow.

"I'm glad to have you all under my command. It's really nice to have so many more reliable allies on base. Now with all the introductions out of the way, everyone, please go ahead and dig in." He said with a smile as he gestured to the long table stacked with food.

The girls each took a seat around the long table and started piling their plates. As they all took their first bite, silence befell the entire hall.

"W-what do you all think?" Shikikan asked. 'I didn't mess up somewhere right?' He started to worry about failing to make a good first impression.

"_Sugoi!_ This is the juiciest karaage I've had!" Zuikaku began piling more kaarage and shrimp tempura on her plate.

'Milord! Did you really make all of this? Everything from the miso soup to the salmon is amazing!' Yamashiro had hearts bubbling out of her head as she ate.

"Phew, I was worried for a second there ahaha..and yeah I had some help from Ayanami and the Manjuus but I figured this would be a good way to make a good first impression with everyone."

"Colored me impressed then cuz everything's tasting great especially with this sake ahahaa" Ise said as she opened another bottle.

"N-nee-san don't hog around me whenever your drinking, I'm trying to eat more of the tempura before Zuikaku eats it all!" Hyuuga was struggling as Ise had her arms wrapped around her and as Zuikaku continued to happily devour all of the tempura.

"Thank you for going through all the trouble of preparing this banquet for us Milord." Fusou bowed.

"It was no trouble at all really, I'm just glad everything turned out okay." The Shikikan smiled as he saw everyone happily enjoying themselves.

"Care for a drink Shikikan?" Shoukaku had a bottle of sake and two cups in her hands.

"Sure, I could use a drink. Thank you." He said as Shoukaku poured him some sake.

The screen door then slid open to reveal the other shipgirls already on base.

"Oh just in time, come in and have some food and eat before it's all gone nya!" Akashi said as she waved everyone over.

"Takao-san! Atago-san!" Yamashiro and Zuikaku said before getting up to hug the aforementioned girls.

"Ara, Yamashiro-chan and Zuikaku!" Atago said as she hugged her long-time friends.

"It's been awhile you two, how are things?" Takao asked before the two moved over to hug her as well.

"Everything back home is same as usual, but just with a lot more anti-Siren barriers and defenses set up near the shorelines ahahaa.." Zuikaku started.

"No Sirens have appeared since the time we were still a part of Crimson Axis though." Ise said as she spoke up.

"Yeah it's been pretty peaceful, but Nagato and the others are beginning to worry about whether or not they are planning something big." Hyuuga added as she downed her cup of sake.

"That does sound quite worrisome…" Takao said as she began to feel a bit distressed from the lack of Siren activity.

"Yeah but enough of that for now, the Sakura Empire is fully prepared for anything the Sirens have to throw at us. Come join us you two." Shoukaku said as she tried to ease the tension.

"Shoukaku's right, we should focus on the present for now, especially since Milord prepared this wondrous banquet for all of us. Please do come in everyone." Fusou chimed in.

All of the girls on the island base were now gathered in the Sakura Empire dining hall now.

"I have to say, this Sakura Empire sake is pretty good. Whether or not it's better than Iron Blood _bier_ though is another question ufufu.." Eugen said as she downed cup after cup with Ise and Hyuuga.

"S-shikikan, is it really okay for all of us to be here? I feel like I'm crashing a party in a way." Z23 asked feeling a bit guilty on intruding.

The Shikikan got up and patted her on the head as he flashed her an assuring smile. " Don't worry, this dinner and all-day tomorrow are all part of my plan to bring a sense of camaraderie among the four factions coming here. Plus, I always do end up making much more than I should so I'm glad you all came."

Z23's face was bright red as she tried to not give off the sense that she enjoyed the Shikikan's head pat before shaking her head and walking away with her face as flustered as ever.

"Milord! Milord! Come join Yamashiro and Fusou-nee sama over here!" Yamashiro said as she excitedly patted the seat between her and her sister.

The Shikikan complied as he walked over and took the seat.

"Here, have some tempura Milord!"

"And here's some tea as well Milord."

"Thank you" Shikikan said as they filled up the plate in front of him.

The night continued on as the girls caught up with each other as they enjoyed the night. After all the food was surprisingly finished, the younger girls decided to head to bed for the night while the older girls continued to chat and enjoy their drinks while basking in the cloudless, moonlit night. The Shikikan spent quite a bit of time chatting with all of the newly arrived girls before he decided he needed to prepare for the other incoming girls tomorrow.

"Well I should head on out and prepare for the other factions' arrivals tomorrow. Have a good night everyone and feel free to attend the other factions' welcoming parties tomorrow as well."

"Aww, I was hoping to get to know you a bit better over some sake and even play my flute for you Shikikan." Shoukaku seemed a bit tipsy as she had a red blush on her face in addition to a very cute pout as she swayed a bit as she spoke.

"Ahahaa, sorry about that Shoukaku, but I'd love to take you up on that offer some other time though."

"Want Onee-san to help you Shikikan?" Atago said as she came up to him and hugged his arm.

"I can help too if you don't mind me Milord." Fusou said as she walked up close to him.

The Shikikan could feel his face reddening being surrounded by beautiful Sakura Empire girls. "Thank you, girls, but it shouldn't take too long since I started all the prep work earlier today. Please go ahead and take this chance to relax and catch up. I'll see everyone tomorrow!" He said as he waved them goodbye as he stepped out.

"He's quite the hardworker..." Fusou started as soon as he left. "I had heard about his past from Nagato-san and was a bit worried about him, but he seems like a capable, kind commander."

"Yeah, One-I'm a bit worried that he might be pushing himself too much though…" Atago said as she placed a hand on her cheek.

"I wouldn't worry too much, he seems like a competent fella, well to me at least, right Hyuuga?" Ise said as she continued to add to the pile of empty sake bottles next to her

"Hicc. Yeah he'll be just fineeeee…..probably." Hyuuga was a bit more than just tipsy.

"Worrying's not going to help, so let's just take his word for it and continue this party." Prinz Eugen smirked as she enjoyed her umpteenth cup of sake.

"I do wonder how Shikikan would react to…our esteemed senpai, ney Zuikaku?" Shoukaku said before finishing another cup of sake.

"Ahaha…" Zuikaku sweatdropped.

"That said, I'll happily protect Shikikan from them ufufu." Shoukaku giggled.

"Ara, that won't be necessary, Onee-san won't let anyway bring harm to Shikikan." Atago challenged.

The tension in the room rose quite a bit as the aircraft carrier and heavy cruiser seemingly had sparks flying between them.

"Ho? How amusing." Eugen said pouring herself a drink as she decided to enjoy the 'show'.

{Back to the Shikikan]

A few hours ago, after he left the Sakura Empire dorm, the Shikikan headed straight to the canteen, where he saw all the Manjuus working hard on his recipes for tomorrow. Thanks to his miracle working assistants, he managed to complete prep work for what would be seemingly impossible for even an elite team of chefs before the clock struck midnight.

'Alright I should head to bed soonish. Javelin said the Royal Navy girls will arrive around nine tomorrow morning so I should be up around six and get everything ready by then. The Eagle Union girls will arrive a bit after lunch according to Laffey, and the wisdom cube transformation should be a bit before then so I should make some time to greet the new girls there as well. And finally, Iron Blood will arrive at around six tomorrow night so that'll give me ample time to prepare for their arrivals as well.' The Shikikan was marking everything down on a piece of paper in preparation for tomorrow's rather hectic schedule.

"Good work and thank you everyone. Go ahead and take a nice rest since we have a lot of work to do tomorrow." He said to his Manjuu sous chefs before saluting them and heading back to his room for the night.

'A lot has happened for my first day as Shikikan, but it didn't really feel like a full day at all. It sure is a lot different here than back with the Sirens.' The Shikikan thought as he was in his room looking out his bedroom window. "I'm glad to be alive despite all that's happened to me, but its almost surreal how different it feels here. I feel myself smiling a lot more and overall just feeling happier whenever I'm with the girls. They've all been so kind and have been working hard for so long now. I really need to do my best for their sake.' Taking a look at the full lit moon once more, he steeled his resolve before heading to bed.

Ring! Ring!

The sound of an alarm clock was going off in the Shikikan's office.

'It's almost as if I just closed my eyes a second ago. Guess that nap I took with Atago in the office was a lot more refreshing than I thought it be..' He thought as he remembered his time with her before shaking his head rapidly as he felt a rising blush on his face. After freshening up, he proceeded to the canteen and began his final prep work for the incoming Royal Navy girls. After about an hour, the door opened to reveal the starter squad up and about.

"Morning Shikikan! I received a message from Belfast saying that the Royal Navy will be here in about two hours! I can't wait to see them all again!"

"Thanks for letting me know Javelin. Can you do me a favor and try this and tell me what you think?" He said as he had a pair of chopsticks in his hands.

Javelin blushed a bit at the idea of being fed but complied as she walked up to him. "Mhm! This sausage is delicious!"

"Laffey doesn't want to try it too….probably." She said before receiving a small chuckle from the Shikikan before he fed her a piece too.

"Are you making breakfast for when they arrive _Herr Kommandant_?" Z23 asked.

"Yeah, I'm not too familiar with Royal Navy cuisine but hopefully they'll enjoy it ahaha.."

"C-can I try some t-too Shikikan?" Z23 blushed

"Ayanami too please…des."

"Of course, here" He said as he cut up the rest of the sausage and fed the two girls.

"_Oishi des_" Ayanami smiled.

"Your cooking really is amazing Shikikan. I'd be more surprised if they don't ask for seconds in all honesty."

"Thanks for the confidence booster Z23." He said as he rubbed her head, much to her embarrassment.

"B-baka, I'm not a child you know!" She pouted.

"Ahahaa, sorry about that I can't help but want to dote on you girls sometimes." He chuckled a bit as he rubbed the back of his head.

"B-baka…" Z23 couldn't retort as she not-so-secretly enjoyed his kind touch.

"Do you want any help…_des_?"

"I think I'm all set thanks to the Manjuus, but could you go around and tell everyone to meet up at the Royal Navy dorm's dining hall in two hours if they are interested in trying a Royal Navy breakfast?"

"Yes sir!" They saluted before heading out.

[With the incoming Royal Navy girls]

A ways away from the Azur Lane base, a group of Royal Navy girls can be seen advancing towards said base together.

"Miss Illustrious, Miss Wales, Miss King George V, we will be arriving on base in under two hours' time." A silver haired beauty said as she curtsied.

"Thank you, Belfast. I have to admit, I'm rather excited in finally meeting this Shikikan."

"Because of his supposed cooking prowess, I presume, my dear sister?" A short haired blonde girl in red royal navy attire teased.

"Yes and out of pure curiosity as well I suppose."

"You're as straightforward and honest as ever KGV ehehe." A white-haired beauty in an elegant white sundress giggled.

"I hope he's not scary or mean…" A young girl in a white dress holding a unicorn plush spoke up.

"Javelin seems to approve of him, but his past could be a problem. What say you Sheffy?" A bespectacled young white-haired girl asked.

"Javelin is a carefree klutz, but her intuition is surprisingly sharp. We'll just have to see for ourselves I suppose." A short haired girl with pale blonde hair that covered one of her eyes replied before advancing on ahead with the others in tow.

[Back with the Shikikan]

Almost two hours had passed in the blink of an eye as the Shikikan and Manjuu sous chefs added the finishing touches to everything in the Royal Navy dorm's dining hall.

"All right, with everything in place, all that's left are the Royal Navy girls themselves. Great work everyone. Please go ahead and take a break before beginning the Eagle Union welcoming party prep work." The Shikikan saluted the Manjuus as he walked out to the dockyard.

'Not going to lie, but after hearing from Javelin that some members of the royal family of the Royal Navy faction are arriving, I'm starting to feel a bit nervous.' He thought as he walked before hearing someone call out his name.

"Shikikan!" Yelled Javelin as she and the starter squad were running to catch up with him.

"Everyone's been informed, and the Royal Navy should arrive any minute! Are you heading to the docks too Shikikan?" Javelin asked as she was practically bubbling with excitement.

"Thank you, girls, shall we head to the docks and greet them together?" He smiled as they all nodded in agreement. He didn't notice but his nerves from earlier relaxed immediately upon meeting up with the starter squad girls.

A few moments later, the group made their way to the docks, where they immediately spotted multiple figures in the distance.

"Look there they are! Oiiiii!" Javelin shouted and waved.

"Seven in total huh?" Shikikan thought aloud.

"Feeling nervous _Herr_ Kommandant?"

"A bit in all honesty. It took me a few minutes to calm down before introducing myself to everyone last night."

"Don't worry Shikikan, we're here for you." Ayanami said as she came up to him.

He smiled and felt himself calming down once more. "Thank you for that, really." He said as he patted her on the head.

The seven Royal Navy girls finally made it to the docks, where they were greeted to an ecstatic Javelin practically jumping to them.

"Ara, long time no see Javelin."

"I missed you and everyone else Illustrious!" Javelin said as she dove in for a hug.

The Shikikan took one more deep breath before walking up to the girls.

"I'm glad to see you've all arrived safely. Welcome to the Azur Lane base. A pleasure to meet everyone, I am the Shikikan here and I look forward to working with everyone." He sounded a bit stiff as he spoke, but he managed to speak clearly and added in a gentlemanly bow. He looked back up and noticed that they all, well except for one expressionless face, were smiling kindly at him. He quickly felt himself relaxing a bit. One of the taller girls with long flowing blonde hair, crimson red eyes, and dressed in formal and elegant Royal Navy attire then took a step forward.

"Lead Ship of the King George V Class Battleship, King George V, at your service" she spoke with a regal aura radiating from her.

The other girls followed suit.

"King George V-class battleship - Prince of Wales. Look forward to witnessing my true strengths Shikikan." She smiled with a nod.

"Greetings, Milord. Illustrious class aircraft carrier, Illustrious, reporting in. I pray that you will bring love and peace to this ocean, may the holy light be ever with you." She said as she gave a graceful curtsy.

"A pleasure to meet you, Master, I am Belfast, head maid of the Royal Navy. From this moment on, I shall dedicate my life to you." She said as she also gave an elegant curtsy.

"Edinburgh class light cruiser, Edinburgh. And yes, I am Belfast's _older_ sister." She said that last part with urgency.

"Light cruiser Sheffield of the Royal Maids, here to serve you." She spoke with pure professionalism.

And then there was one left.

"Go on, don't be shy." Illustrious said as she encouraged the adorable little girl hiding behind her and her plushie.

"Ahh…and I am…Royal Navy's…Unicorn." She said before blushing heavily and hiding behind Illustrious and her plushie once more.

"I'm truly glad to have you all here. I hope you haven't eaten yet as I have taken the liberty to prepare a welcoming breakfast party' for everyone here." He said with a kindhearted smile.

"Ho? I've heard a lot about your cooking abilities from Javelin, Shikikan. I'm looking forward to seeing how right she was." King George V said as her eyes seemingly glittered with excitement.

"Go easy on the Shikikan KGV. Sorry Shikikan, putting it lightly, she's a bit of a food fanatic..." Wales sighed.

"But of course, my dear little sister, food and fighting are my two greatest hobbies." She said with great pride.

"Wait a minute, is this why you told us to put up with just tea and crumpets on our way here Bel!?" Edinburgh inquired.

"Ey!? But I made sure to keep the Shikikan's surprise a secret!" Javelin exclaimed.

"Don't worry Javelin, just call it a maid's intuition." She said as she had a finger to her lips as she winked.

"You truly do fit the title of head maid, Belfast." Illustrious giggled.

'I'm not sure why but I get feeling I should try to stay on Belfast's good side…' The Shikikan thought as he snuck a glance at Belfast, who apparently noticed and gave him a small knowing smile.

"A-anyway, please follow me everyone." The Shikikan said as he quickly switched gears and led the group to the Royal Navy dorm. Upon entering the dorm's dining hall, they were greeted with the smell of freshly cooked bacon, fried eggs, toasted bread, and numerous other breakfast aromas. Multiple tables were set up and adorned with numerous silverwares, tablecloths, and flowers.

_Growl!_

"…..Hungry." Laffey said as her stomach loudly growled.

"It smells wonderous!" Illustrious added as she looked around and breathed in.

"Please go ahead and have a seat everyone." Shikikan said as he waved everyone over to the tables.

"Master, shall I help?" Belfast asked.

"Thank you, but please go ahead and join everyone else. This is a welcoming party for the newly arrived Royal Navy girls after all."

"Thank you Master." She said with a smile and graceful bow before heading over to the other girls.

Once seated, the Shikikan and Manjuus brought out the food and began serving them out on fine china.

"I hope everyone enjoys my attempted version of a 'Full English breakfast'." He said as the plates were served. On each plate were fried eggs, freshly cooked sausages and bacon from scratch, roasted tomatoes and mushrooms, baked beans, and fresh out of the oven slices of buttered toast. To the side were cups of freshly brewed coffee and tea.

"Thank you for going to all of this trouble Shikikan."

"It was no trouble at all Prince of Wales, this might sound strange, but cooking is rather relaxing for me, so I do enjoy it quite a bit."

"I see, and just Wales will do Shikikan." She smiled.

"I wholeheartedly understand what you mean Shikikan, and please feel free to refer to me as KGV." Her elder sister added.

With exceedingly proper table etiquette, the Royal Navy girls, with the exception of a few, began to cut up their first bites of the plate. Moments after taking their first bites…

"Mhm! Shikikan! Your cooking really is the best!" Javelin announced with sheer happiness.

"Color me impresse-no, blown away Shikikan. I can't help but get the feeling that this will be the start of a great relationship between us." KGV had hearts fluttering around her head as she happily ate.

"Being part of the Royal family, I've always been blessed with wonderful gourmet food, but Shikikan's food has left me speechless."

"I agree, Wales, I can't remember the last time I've had such a delicious breakfast." Illustrious added.

"My sincerest apologies Master, I had prepared for the worst since Javelin has a tendency to over exaggerate...a lot." Sheffield bowed her head.

'Phew, it's like a load has been taken off my chest.' Shikikan sighed in relief.

"Um…S-Shikikan….c-can I call you Onii-chan?" Unicorn asked without hiding behind her plushie or Illustrious.

The Shikikan felt his heart skip a beat for a second from the immense force of cuteness that flung out of her. He took a second to regain himself before speaking.

"S-sure." He said with a happy smile.

The party went on as planned and the seemingly excessive amount of food made by the Shikikan was surprisingly gone by the end of it.

"I-I'm in heaven…" Edinburgh had a face of pure ecstasy after having her fill and some.

"Alright, I'm sure you girls are feeling tired from your long journey. We'll begin exercises and commissions tomorrow, so please go ahead and take a nice long rest for today. For now, though, please excuse me as I go prepare for the other arrivals. My office is always open to you girls so feel free come by whenever." Shikikan said before heading out.

"You were right Javelin, Onii-chan's a really nice person!"

"Right!? I knew I had a good intuition!" Javelin huffed.

"I was worried his past might be haunting him, but I'm relieved to see him shine." Illustrious added.

"He's proven to be a great cook and in time we'll see if the same can be said for his abilities as a commander." KGV said as she patted her lips with a tablecloth as she sat beside a literal mountain of finished plates.

"Your appetite always shocks me KGV…" Wales stared in awe.

[With Shikikan]

'Alright next up is the Eagle Union's arrival. Everything's completely set, but it looks like the Wisdom cube transformation is going to be done soon so let's head there first before firing up everything.' He thought as he made his way to the construction area of the dockyard. Upon arrival, he heard someone call his name.

"Shikikan?"

He turned to notice Eldridge sitting on a crate near the edge of the dock.

"Hi Eldridge, are you waiting for your Eagle Union friends?" He asked as he came over and patted her head.

"Yeah….excited." She said as she put her hands up asking for a hug.

"Me too," He said as he picked her up, "I can't wait to see what they're all like. By the way Eldridge, want to come with me to the construction area? Two more girls are about to appear soon."

"Kayyyyyy" She said as she cozied into the Shikikan's hugged as they walked over. Making their way inside, they noticed that the timers were about to hit zero.

"Perfect timing" He said before the two wisdom cubes on the panels began to glow before dispersing into particles and flowing towards one light cruiser and one aircraft carrier. The particles began to glow even brighter before two figures emerged where the two ships once stood. They were both young girls, one with pink hair tied into short twin tails and the other with red hair tied into long pig tails. They looked around a bit before they spotted the Shikikan and Eldridge.

"Oh! Eldridge!" The two girls exclaimed.

"Sara, Sandy!" Eldridge was emitting small sparks before jumping down and joining the other two for a group hug.

"Hm? You know them Eldridge?" The Shikikan asked as he walked over to the group.

"Yep, Eagle Union friends.." Eldridge said with an adorable smile. The other two took a look at the Shikikan before putting the pieces together.

"Hm? Oh! Yo~ Hello Shikikan! I am Lexington's— little sister Saratoga~ I mean Lexington-class aircraft carrier – Saratoga! Nice to meet you!"

"Hello~ I'm San Diego, the cruiser who earned the most battle stars in World War 2! Short introduction, checked! I'm just too clever!"

Both girls seemed quite energetic and carefree as they introduced themselves.

"Pleasure to meet you two, as you've guessed, I'm the Shikikan of the Azur Lane base. I'm looking forward to working with you two." He smiled.

Saratoga and San Diego walked up to him and were seemingly staring into his eyes.

"Hmm…" Saratoga hummed.

"..? Something wrong?" Shikikan asked.

"Hm? Oh! Sorry for staring Shikikan! There was just something about your eyes that I couldn't put my finger on. What about you Sandy?"

"Hm? I just thought his eyes were pretty eheheee."

Ring! Ring!

The Shikikan's phone buzzed to reveal a text from Laffey saying the Eagle Union girls are about half an hour out.

'Just in time for lunch too, nice.' Alright girls so a lot's going on, today especially, but in short, your fellow Eagle Union friends will be arriving shortly. I won't be able to greet the girls as they arrive, but could I ask you three to wait by the docks outside for them? After that, bring them to the Eagle Union dorm's backyard please. I have a surprise waiting for everyone there."

"Roger!" Saratoga and San Diego said while Eldridge put up a victory sign.

"Thank everyone, see you in a bit." He said before hurrying out.

"Do you know what's going on Eldridge?" Saratoga questioned.

"Yepp, but it's a secrettt." Eldridge said while cutely covering her mouth with her hands.

"Hurry up you two! Last one to the docks is a rotten egg!" San Diego said before she ran off.

"Hey! No fair! Let's go Eldridge!" Saratoga said before grabbing the little destroyer's hand and running after San Diego.

The three girls proceeded to make their way outside to the edge of the docks waiting for their friends' arrival. Half an hour passed by in the blink of an eye as the Eagle Union trio was happily catching up with each other.

"Oh! Look! I see them!" San Diego said as she noticed multiple figures in the distance coming towards them. She immediately then jumped down into the water and raced off towards the figures with Saratoga and Eldridge in tow.

"Hm? Is that..?" A certain bluenette started.

"Oh! San Diego! Saratoga! And Eldridge too!" A certain tomboy confirmed before getting tackled into a hug by San Diego.

"Woah! I'm glad to see you too Sandy!"

"Ehehe long time no see Clevebro!" Saratoga said as she caught up.

"Don't call me that!" Cleveland pouted.

"Hehe sorry, I couldn't help it." Saratoga teased as she stuck her tongue out while tilting her head to the side.

"As much of a prankster as ever sigh…but still it's good to see you again."

"Enterprise! Long time no see! Vestal, Hornet, and Helena too!"

"Hug." Eldridge said before glomping Enterprise.

"It's nice to see you too Eldridge." Enterprise said as she returned the hug.

"When did you two get here though? We didn't hear anything from Laffey about you two being here too." Vestal asked.

"Sandy and I woke up less than an hour ago over there." Saratoga said as she pointed to the construction area of the dockyard. "The Shikikan greeted us as soon as we did and asked us three to wait here and bring everyone to the Eagle Union dorm. " She continued to explain.

"Where's he now? Hearing Laffey's reports everyday about him has me dying out of curiosity!" Cleveland asked.

As soon as she asked, the eagle on Enterprise's shoulder flew up and began speeding towards the base.

"Where's Grim going Enty-nee?" Hornet asked as she watched the eagle fly off.

"Not sure, maybe he's telling us to follow him?"

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" San Diego was off.

"W-wait up Sandy!" The girls, unsure of where they were being led to, chased after the eagle flying towards the base.

[With Shikikan]

Our Shikikan was currently checking on everything in the Eagle Union dorm's backyard.

'Phew, alright that should about do it. I wonder how far out the incoming Eagle Union girls are.'

"Would you like some water, coffee, or tea Master?"

"Hmm, tea sounds pretty good right now, than-" Shikikan paused. 'Wait…wasn't it just me and the Manjuus back here?' He turned around to the voice and noticed that it was Belfast holding a tray with a fancy tea set.

"When'd you get here Belfast?" He asked since she seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Awhile ago, Master. You seemed hard at work so I thought you might be parched and took the liberty to fetch you some refreshments." She flashed him her signature smile that somehow radiated both kindness and smugness equivalently. She placed the tea set on the table and poured him a cup before bringing it to him on a small dish.

"Thanks for going to the trouble, Belfast." He smiled as he took the tea.

"It is a maid's duty to service her Master to the fullest. Is the tea to your liking?" She smiled.

"It's my first time having such high-quality tea. I don't think I can ever go back to bagged tea after having this ahaha." He smiled sheepishly.

"My apologies Master, but bagged tea does not count as real tea in my eyes. Also, if Master would like, I wouldn't mind serving you tea and snacks every day." She smiled smugly.

The Shikikan could feel his face heat up a bit. "T-that would be amazing, but I don't want to be a burden on you."

"Think nothing of the sort Master, it is but a maid's duty for her master." She said matter-of-factly.

Shikikan was about to retort but her steadfast smile made him silent. 'I _really_ need to stay on her good side…'

"Thank you for your continued services Belfast." He bowed instead.

Belfast had to stifle a small chuckle upon seeing his reaction, much to his embarrassment.

"Smells good…"

The two turned around to see Laffey walking towards them with drool running down her mouth.

The Shikikan laughed a bit seeing how cute Laffey was. "Want to taste test some stuff for me Laffey?" He asked as he opened the large grill behind him revealing a massive assortment of hamburger patties, hot dogs, and assorted skewered meat and veggies. He took a skewer off the secondary rack and brought it to Laffey.

"Here try—"

'nom'

"..this" The Shikikan smiled as he patted Laffey's head as she pounced and 'nom'd' on the skewer in his hands.

'Caw!'

Out of nowhere, a large bald eagle came out of nowhere and landed on his hand that was patting Laffey. It seemed to be looking directly at him, much to his confusion.

"Ara" Belfast said as if she knew something the Shikikan didn't.

The Shikikan slowly brought his hand up so that it was at eye level with him. It was still staring curiously at him, as if judging him. The Shikikan brought his other hand up slowly and carefully brought out his index finger to the side of the mysterious eagle's beak. It looked at it, before friendly rubbing its head on it.

"You don't seem like a wild eagle. Did you get lost from your owner?" He asked before walking over to the grill and taking a small piece of meat off rack and offering it up to the bird. The bird immediately seized the meat and swallowed it whole before happily rubbing its head on his hand once more.

"Over here!" The Shikikan heard a familiar voice and the sound of multiple footsteps running towards him. He looked over and saw San Diego, Saratoga, Eldridge, and a bunch of unfamiliar girls coming over to the backyard.

"There he is! Oh Shikikan! Good job catching Grim!" Saratoga said as she ran up to him.

"Oh, so your name's Grim." He said as he took a finger to scratch under its beak.

"Wow, I don't think I've ever seen Grim get this friendly with someone so quickly before…"

The Shikikan looked up to the five unfamiliar girls who were looking at him interestingly.

"Um, hello, you girls must be the incoming Eagle Union girls. Sorry for not being able to greet you as soon as you came in. Nice to meet you all, I'm the Shikikan of this base." He smiled and saluted with his free hand. Grim then flew off and landed on a silver haired beauty's shoulder.

"Oh! So, you're the Shikikan! My name is Cleveland! Nice to finally meet you! She said with a big smile and salute.

The other girls followed her and introduced themselves as well.

"Hello~ I'm Hornet! Ah, there's no need to be formal; you can go ahead and call me Miss Hornet just kidding teehee."

"Greetings Commander, I'm Helena and recon is my strong suit. Please guide us towards victory."

"Yorktown-class 2nd carrier Enterprise reporting in. Thank you for catching Grim for me Shikikan." She said with a salute.

"And I'm repair ship Vestal, nice to meet you Shikikan!"

"And I'm San Diego!"

"Oi Sandy, you already introduced yourself you blockhead." Saratoga said jokingly.

"Oh right, whoop teehee." She said while rubbing the back of her head.

The Shikikan chuckled a bit seeing the display before him. "I'm glad to have you all here and with such good timing to boot. I'm sure you've already figured this out, but this is a welcoming party for your arrival in the form of a backyard barbeque. Enjoy!" He said as he gave the signal to the Manjuus to uncover the trays on the table to reveal premade cheeseburgers, hot dogs, stacked skewers, potato salad, french fries, garden salads, oxy colas, and so much more.

"There's plenty to go around and more on the grill so don't feel the need to hold back." He smiled.

"Food!" San Diego, Saratoga, Laffey, and Eldridge were off.

"Wow! You're much different than I thought you'd be Shikikan! Thanks for going to all of this for us!" Hornet said before bee-lining to the food.

"As carefree as ever…" Enterprise sighed.

"It's better than her being sad, Enterprise-chan." Vestal chastised.

"Heh, you're right Vestal." She smiled before following after her sister.

"Um Shikikan...?"

Cleveland and Helena seemed to be hesitating to say something on their minds.

"Um, I have a lot of little sisters and um, I…I mean we heard about your, um, past so if you need som—" Cleveland started before she felt a hand on her head. She looked up to see the Shikikan smiling warmly at her.

"Thanks Cleveland, it means a lot hearing that. But don't worry, I'm the happiest I've ever been since I woke up. I might not be 100% over it but having such reliable allies like yourself puts my mind at ease."

Cleveland reddened a bit before smiling brightly at him. She followed after her friends crowding around table full of food.

"Thank you for that Shikikan." Helena came up to him. "Cleveland was really worried about you ever since she heard about your past. That's the brightest I've seen her smile all week." Helena flashed him a small sincere smile.

"If anything, I should be thanking you, her, and everyone here. Seeing you all gather here to work with me and fight off those Sirens gives me a lot of determination to do my best and hope for the future." He started before also patting her on the head. "Plus, having someone as nice and caring as you on my side is a blessing."

'Affinity up!'

The bluenette was blushing heavily hearing him speak so highly of her.

"Oi Helena! Hurry up and come get some before Clevebro gets all the french fries!" Hornet yelled.

"Don't call me Clevebro!" She pouted rather cutely before grabbing more french fries.

"Go ahead and join them Helena." He smiled.

She smiled back before heading over to her friends.

"Those two must be best of friends." Shikikan thought out loud.

"Master, please refrain from making jealous remarks of your subordinates."

He turned around to notice Sheffield appear beside Belfast.

"Wait no I meant-"

"Don't worry Master, it was just a joke." She said with a perfect poker face.

The Shikikan sweat-dropped before gathering his thoughts. "I wonder if anyone else is coming."

As if on cue, he heard chatter and multiple footsteps coming his.

"Hm? Oh, Royal Navy's here!" Cleveland exclaimed.

"Looks like we made it just in time. It's been awhile since we've all last met." Wales said as she walked up.

"How do you do Enterprise?" Illustrious asked as she walked up.

"Long time no see, Illustrious." She responded with a nod and smile.

The two factions previously already on friendly terms caught up and mingled with each other as they enjoyed the barbeque party.

"Wow Shikikan! These burgers are great! I can't get enough of them!" Cleveland said in between bites.

"At least try to not have so much food on your face Cleve…" Helena said as she offered her a napkin.

"She's right though! These steaks are so juicy and perfectly cooked! Mhm!" Hornet said as she took another twelve-ounce steak and put it on her plate.

"So Enterprise-chan, between the Shikikan and me, who's cooking do you like better?" Vestal asked as she was enjoying her bowl of potato salad.

"…" Enterprise froze.

"Mo, Enterprise-chan, even though I'm just joking, you should be honest! Even I think the Shikikan's cooking is miles above mine."

"I think anyone would've had a had time answering that Vestal." Hornet intervened.

"Hm? You think so?" Vestal pondered.

"_Herr KommandantI_" The Shikikan turned around to notice Z23 and Ayanami walking to him.

"Hello you two, here for the welcoming party?" He asked.

"_Hai des_. The other Sakura Empire girls were up until morning and are still recovering from their partying _des._

"_Ja_, Eugen too. Also, I'd like to report that a total of six Iron Blood fräulein will be arriving after sunset.

"Thank you for keeping me up to date. Go ahead and join everyone you two."

'Good to hear they were a no show because of hangovers instead of bad blood between the factions.' He sighed in relief.

"Your cooking skills are beyond anything I could've ever expected Shikikan. I can't seem to ever get enough." KGV said with a huge pile of food in front of her.

'There appetites never cease to amaze me. But seeing them all happy makes everything worth it.' He smiled as he looked at all of their smiling faces.

"More tea Master?" Belfast asked with a pot of tea in her hands.

"Yes, please and thank you."

"Master, I've brought some food from over there here if you'd like."

"Thank you, Sheffield."

"Think nothing of it, also please feel free to just call me 'Sheffy'. Saves a syllable."

The Shikikan was enjoying his chat with the two lovely maids before…

"Are you enjoying the Royal Navy Maid Corps' hospitality, Shikikan?" Enterprise smiled as she came up to him.

"In all honesty, I don't think I'll ever get used to this much attention ahaha." He smiled sheepishly.

"Greetings Miss Enterprise." Belfast curtsied.

"Long time no see Belfast." Enterprise nodded and smiled.

"Oh? Are you two friends?" Shikikan asked.

"Friends is putting it lightly teehee." Hornet said from afar.

"H-hornet!" Enterprise was a dark shade of red.

"Looks like I asked something I shouldn't have, sorry about that you two." The Shikikan bowed his head in apology.

"Wait no Shikikan there's a huge misunder-" Enterprise panicked with a large blush apparent on her face as everyone at the party was looking at them.

After a few seconds, the Shikikan and Belfast started to laugh at the usually cool and calm-minded Enterprise.

"Your maid's intuition is quite terrifying, Belfast." Shikikan said after regaining his composure.

"Wha!?" Enterprise was baffled.

"My apologies Miss Enterprise, I had Master partake in a little prank of mine to liven up the party a bit." She giggled.

"They sure got you good Enty-nee bwahahaa." Hornet had tears in her eyes. Everyone else was trying to stifle their giggles as well.

Enterprise pouted and crossed her arms in response.

"Sorry about that Enterprise, I couldn't say no to Belfast." He tried to console her a bit.

"Don't be, it was well played, and I fell for it." Enterprise responded with a smile.

The party continued on until the massive amount of food the Shikikan had made was devoured to the last morsel.

"Well it's been fun everyone, but I need to go get the final welcome party today ready for our incoming guests. Go ahead and take it easy for the rest of the day and do feel free to come stop by the Iron Blood dorm for the dinner party later if you'd like." The Shikikan said before he upped and left.

"He really is a nice guy." Saratoga spoke up.

"Toldya.." Laffey said before snuggling with Eldridge and San Diego under a tree and falling asleep.

"Yeah! I thought he'd be gloomy and unconfident, but he's the total opposite!" Hornet added.

"I thought so too, but I'm relieved to see him so chipper!" Cleveland said before polishing off her umpteenth burger.

"What do you think Enterprise-chan?" Vestal asked as they were off to the side together.

"He quickly got on Grim's good side and has an approachable kind personality. He treats us really well, almost as if we are normal humans. I think he'll be a good commander without a doubt." She gave her honest opinion.

"He's also able to smile and tease you despite all he went through." Vestal sung, bringing back Enterprise's blush.

[With Shikikan]

Hours had passed since he left the Eagle Union welcoming party. The Shikikan just finished getting everything ready for the final welcoming party of the day.

"Is there anything else I can do to help _Herr Kommandant_?" Z23 had arrived an hour ago and offered to help him get ready.

"Nope, that's everything that needed to be done. But any idea when they arrive?"

"Let me ask Eugen. She said she'd wait out by the docks for them and message me when they arrive."

"Sounds good. But hey Z23, what are your fellow Iron Blood friends like?"

"Umm.." She hesitated a bit. "Some of the Iron Blood members pride themselves in being strong and might come off as a bit arrogant and reckless. Others are the quieter type that don't really do much socialization outside. But! We all protect one another and won't ever run away from the enemy!" She tried to recover so not to negatively impact the Shikikan's view of Iron Blood.

"I see, hopefully we can all get along without too much trouble." He wished aloud.

Ring! Ring!

"Oh! Eugen said they landed on the docks and are walking here now!"

"Alright let's head on out." He said as he walked on out with Z23 in tow.

Moments later outside of the Iron Blood dorm, he saw Prinz Eugen and six other figures walking towards him and Z23.

"_Herr Kommandant_, these are my fellow Ironblood fräuleins." Eugen said as she waved an arm to them.

"Sigh, couldn't you have introduced us a bit better Eugen? So you're the Shikikan huh?" A short blonde girl with green eyes and a sharp tongue was taking a long look at the commander. This was due to two reasons. She heard his backstory from Eugen and Tirpitz and because she couldn't help but stare into his amethyst colored eyes.

"Ho? Did _Herr Kommandant_ bewitch you with his magic eyes Hipper?" Eugen smirked.

"H-Huh!? Who would be bewitched by this dummkopf? A-anyway I'm Admiral Hipper, Eugen's big sister. Hhmpf!" She crossed her arms defiantly and looked away.

'That manga I read a while ago, she reminds a lot like her. 'Tsundere' was it?' Shikikan thought after feeling a sense of déjà vu.

"…Guess I'll go next. I'm Scharnhorst, I will stand until the last moment in any battle. This is my determination, as well as my pride. Leave all the fighting to me!" She announced.

"I'm Gneisenau, although not as headstrong as big sister, I'm still confident about my combat capabilities…"

A young girl with short white hair and a red streak looked at another girl with long black hair dressed in mostly black as if signaling something.

"I know, I know Spee. I'm number A ship of the Deutschland-class - Deutschland! Such a prestigious individual would not go into combat so easily, so naturally I don't have much battle results, it's spiritual leadership you know?"

The girl with short white hair spoke up next. "I am Ironblood navy's third ship of the Deutschland class Panzerschiff, Graf Spee."

The last to speak was a small girl with long gray hair and golden eyes. "Ironblood Navy Z-class destroyer 1936C class. My name is ... shame, I do not have a name yet. Just call me Z46 for now."

'What an interesting bunch' he thought before speaking. "Good evening everyone. I'm glad to see you've all arrived safe and sound. To welcome you all, I've prepared an Iron Blood themed dinner inside, please follow me."

The Iron Blood girls looked at each other in surprise and confusion before following after him to the dining hall where they were assaulted by the familiar smell of pork knuckles, pork and chicken schnitzel, bratwursts, potato salad, and freshly made pretzels.

"And to top it all off, I had the local Iron Blood brewery deliver five barrels of their _bier_. Please help yourselves."

"A feast befitting a noble such as I! Well done servant—Ow!" Deutschland was forced to a halt after being hit on the head by Scharnhorst. Deutschland was about to complain before realizing what she said. She and everyone else besides Z23 and Eugen looked at him worriedly.

"Um, is something wrong?" He was oblivious as to what was going on.

"_Herr Kommandant_." Z23 said while waving her hand down so she could whisper something to him.

"Hmm? …Ohhhhh, I see." It was now the newly arrived Iron Blood girls turn to be lost.

"While I appreciate the sentiments, please don't feel the need to step on eggshells with me. I might not be 100% over being a Siren prisoner and lab rat, but I've recovered enough to know you girls mean no harm." He smiled before continuing. "Heh, I mean this in the best way possible when I say this but even though your faction name is Iron Blood, you girls are quite nice and friendly. Thank you." He said with a small chuckle." There was a combination of blushes and sighs of relief among the girls hearing his words.

"You're such a worrywart Hipper. I told you he would be fine. Eugen said as she wrapped an arm around Hipper and poked her cheek.

"H-Huh!? Who was worried!? It's not like I wanted to make sure this dummkopf was okay or anything! H-hmpf." She said as she forced her way out of Eugen's embrace and crossed her arms while looking away from everyone. The phrase 'a complete tsundere' appeared in everyone's head upon hearing this.

"…Well enough of this, let's enjoy the food while it's still good!" Scharnhorst was the first to break the silence as she led the charge to the tables of food.

"A taste similar to that made back in the Iron Blood lands, and yet, no matter how much I consume, this feeling of desire does not vanish. Is this the temptation of gluttony?" Z46 was confused at how no matter how much she ate, she didn't feel herself getting full whatsoever as she continued to try all of the Shikikan's cooking."

"What a wonderful servant I've acquired ahaha! Providing your master with high quality food and drink….do remind to reward you later ahaha." Deutschland exclaimed as she piled her plate high with bratwursts and pretzels.

"You were right Eugen! _Herr Kommandant_! Your cooking and all this _bier_ is perfect after a hard day's work, _Prost_!" Scharnhorst said as she clanged mugs with everyone including the Shikikan.

"Nya? Oh! Shikikan and everyone already started nya!" Everyone turned around to see Akashi, Yuubari, Ayanami, Laffey, and Javelin standing by the doorway.

"Come in everyone! There's still more than plenty!" Z23 waved them over.

"Hmm?" The Shikikan noticed that Graf Spee was struggling to hold utensils with her large mechanical arms. The Shikikan went around, pulled up a chair, and sat next to her. "Need some help?" He asked.

"? Oh, _Herr Kommandant_, sorry, these hands are only good for grasping victory in battle." She said as she dropped her fork once again.

"Hmm it does seem quite troublesome, hey Akashi, do you think you can do anything to help Graf Spee?" He called to the cat girl stuffing her face with pretzels.

"Nya?" She said as she walked over to Spee and began observing her hands. "Hai nya, with Yuubari's help it'll be a cinch, but it might cost a bit nya…"

"That's fine. Please do so as soon as possible."

"_Herr Kommandant?"_ Graf Spee was surprised to hear what she heard him say. He was willing to devote time and resources for her without hesitation.

"Don't worry, Akashi's really smart and knows her way around repairs and remodeling. You'll have regular hands in no time." He smiled.

"But the resources-" She tried to protest.

"It's okay Graf Spee, a few resources mean nothing to me if it's for improving your life here." He interjected. "But for now, here." He said as he took her plate and brought a fork with a piece of schnitzel on it up to her mouth.

Graf Spee looked at the fork and then at him before blushing at the realization that he was offering to feed her. She looked at him and couldn't get a sense of any devious or sinister plot from him as he smiled at her. She reluctantly agreed as she ate the schnitzel.

"How is it?"

"It's the best." She said with a smile that surprised everyone with how it almost seemingly radiated happiness.

'Affinity up!'

"Jealous, are we?" Eugen asked as she caught Hipper staring as she drank, causing Hipper to start coughing on her drink before she began to nag her mischievous little sister.

The night proceeded on wards with all the food gone and surprisingly all five barrels of _bier_ as well. The Shikikan himself had a bit much to drink as his vision was a bit blurry as he waved the girls good night and walked out back to his room.

'What a busy, yet fun day. With all four factions present here, I wonder what tomorrow will bring." He pondered as he prepared to take a well-deserved rest.

[Meanwhile in a distant part of the sea, inside a dark cold alien-like fortress]

"Arbiter, Purifier has been reborn…..again." A small pale girl with pure white skin and short white hair said.

"Good, bring her here so I can change that." The Empress was not in a good mood as she sat on her throne-like chair with a murderous glare in her eyes.

"I understand you're upset Purifier failed her guard duty of-him, but you've dismantled her over a hundred times now. I'm sure you've ingrained in her your wrath…"

"Quiet Observer 0, because of that useless idiot, I lost my favorite toy I spent so much time on…." She snarled as her aura was acting like a raging fire.

The door to the room swung open to reveal a very pale girl with long, wild white hair and glowing yellow eyes.

"This better be good Tester…" Arbiter growled.

"Excuse my presence, but I have some news you might like Arbiter."

"Being…?" Her eyes narrowed.

Tester put on an evil smile before continuing. "I have confirmation on _**his **_whereabouts."

Arbiter was silent for a moment before a very wicked smile appeared on her face as her eyes glowed brightly.

"Never mind on bringing Purifier here Observer 0, it looks like I'll have my favorite toy back here soon enough." She said as she got up and began walking to the door.

"Wait Arbiter" Observer 0 said as stepped forward and stood in front of Arbiter. "Have you forgotten? Our jobs are clear. We ourselves are not to do anything—"

"Out. Of. The. Way. **NOW"** Arbiter's rigging appeared behind her as all of her devastating firepower locked on the little girl in front of her.

"I really didn't want to have to use force, but it looks like I have no choice." Observer 0 sighed before she revealed her jellyfish like rigging.

"I should probably get out of here fast." Tester said before fleeing the scene as fast as she could.

The fight between the two Siren Elites led to a raging storm around the surrounding areas and unknown to the Shikikan, a storm was coming his way as well.

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**Glad to see people are liking my story so far! 50 favs and 70 follows woo! Let's see if we can hit a hundred for both! So don't forget to fav, follow, and comment if you like the story!**

**Apologies again for the extensive delay everyone! Life happened and I couldn't find much free time to write. **

**Thank you for your continued support and please do look forward to next time on** **Azur Lane fanfic: An Unsung Legend Chapter 8: The True Beginning!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: The True Beginning!**

**Welcome back y'all to chapter 8! Thanks so much for the favs, follows, and comments thus far! Look forward to more in the near future! Let's get right into it!**

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"**To put things simply, if your past makes your present... Then your present can and will make your future. When you think about it that way... You absolutely have the potential to be anything you want to be, don't you agree?" – Yato, Noragami**

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After a long day of running around the base, cooking, and meeting the new ship girls, the Shikikan was currently passed out in his bedroom. Sound asleep, he didn't hear the sound of a knock at the door or someone calling him.

"Master? It's morning, time to wake up."

No response.

"Pardon the intrusion." The voice said before opening the unlocked door, revealing herself to be the beautiful Royal Navy head maid herself, Belfast. Walking up to the Shikikan still in a deep slumber, she gave him a light shake in an attempt to wake him up, but to no avail.

"You give me no choice then Master." She said with a playful smirk before walking over to the curtains and unleashing the fury of the rising sun onto the now wide awake Shikikan.

"Ahhh!" He screamed as he was blinded and rolling off the bed. "Who!? What!? Where!?" He said as he quickly got up feeling lost as to what was happening. He looked over to see Belfast trying her best to not break out in laughter after seeing the hilarious display before her.

"B-Belfast? What's going on?"

It took her a couple of seconds to compose herself before she spoke. "My apologies Master, but nothing else I had tried to do would wake you up ufufu."

"Well it worked ahaha…." He couldn't bring himself to feel upset of being woken up so abruptly since someone as pretty as Belfast took the time to wake him up herself.

"I almost wish it didn't, I had one more method in mind." She smiled.

"And what would that have been?" He asked out of curiosity.

She smiled warmly at him before looking intently at his lips and giving him a graceful curtsy.

Still half awake, it took him a second to realize what she was implying. Now flustered so early in the morning, he turned around and walked to the bathroom to cool down and freshen up. Coming back out, he noticed that Belfast had the same smile but now had a tray of pancakes, eggs, bacon, a cup of coffee, and a cup of tea in her hands.

"Care for some breakfast Master?"

"Oh, thank you Belfast, but you didn't need to-"

"Master, as I've said before, it is but simply a maid's duty to service her Master to her utmost capabilities." She said it matter-of-factly with a tone that left no room for argument.

Deciding to give in to Belfast, he thanked her once more before enjoying the breakfast she made for him on his computer desk.

"It may pale in comparison to your wonderful culinary skills, but I do hope that you will still enjoy it."

"Mhm!" He said after taking his first bite. "What do you mean Belfast? It's delicious!" He exclaimed before taking another bite.

"You flatter me Master." She smiled and bowed.

"I mean it though Belfast, if I had the option to, I'd rather always have your cooking over my own every day." He said as he was about to take another bite of his pancakes before he realized what exactly he just said.

Affinity up!

Belfast had an uncharacteristic light blush for a moment before a mischievous smile quickly replaced it. "Ara Master, is that a confession?" She asked completely smug now.

"U-um I- uh…" Shikikan forgot how to speak as he struggled to make a reply.

"Hehe, I'm just joking. Thank you for the kind words, but I must say, your troubled expression is quite adorable. Please do continue to look forward to my future services and performances Master."

"Ahaha….." He chuckled awkwardly. 'She's never going to let me live this down is she…' He sighed in his head.

Finishing up his breakfast and donning his commander attire, he made his way downstairs with Belfast to his office, where a massive pile of paperwork awaited him on his desk with Enterprise, Atago, Prinz Eugen, and Z23 sitting around the coffee table seemingly waiting for him.

"Good morning Shikikan, Onee-san was just about to come wake you up, but it looks like someone beat her to it." She said as she glanced over to Belfast who smiled and curtsied in response.

"_Guten Morgen_ _Herr Kommandant_"

"Morning Shikikan."

"Morning everyone. What brings you all here so early in the morning?"

"Ara Shikikan, did you forget? Onee-san is your secretary ship." She said before walking up until their noses almost touched. "There's a lot of work to do today, but did you get enough sleep?" She asked while staring intently into his still sleepy eyes.

It took the Shikikan a few seconds to realize he was staring at her and that she was speaking to him. "H-Huh? Oh yeah, I'm good to go." He stuttered.

"Ufufu….Well then shall we get started then?" Atago giggled.

The Shikikan could've sworn he felt eyes boring into him as he made his way to his chair, but he decided to try and ignore that for now. "So, what about you girls?"

"…..I wanted to ask you about the fleet exercise plans." Enterprise stated.

"I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep so I decided to bother you." She smirked.

Z23 was cradling her right arm while looking away with a small frown. The Shikikan took note of this.

"Something on your mind Z23?" He asked

"Huh? Oh no I uhm…." She started before taking a deep breath. "_Herr Kommandant!_ Please have me as your next secretary ship!" She exclaimed with high hope and determination.

Nobody expected her to make such a bold quest and it showed on everyone's faces, while Z23 had a rising blush on her face as she fidgeted and struggled to look anywhere but down.

"Hoo? Little Nimi's gotten quite bold." Prinz Eugen feigned surprise before a smug grin appeared causing Z23 blush to darken intensely.

"I- I mean we haven't been able to discuss or study the naval warfare books I recommended to you and I thought we could kill two birds with one stone if I was your secretary!" She blurted out all while flustered from being the center of attention.

"Are you sure it isn't because of some other reason Nimi?" Eugen asked mischievously before wrapping her arms around Z23 and hugging her from behind.

"E-Eugen-san!" She protested as she struggled to break free.

Shikikan blinked twice before looking over to Atago who only smiled in return, leaving the Shikikan alone with the decision. After a few more seconds he made up his mind.

"I'd love to have you as my next secretary ship Z23."

"R-really!? I-I mean I look forward to working with you _Herr_ _Kommandant!_" She said with a bright adorable smile.

"Ara Shikikan, are you not happy with Onee-san as your secretary?" Atago had a cute pout and her arms crossed as she looked away with a 'hmph'.

"N-Not at all! You're amazing and really helped me these past couple of days, but I was just thinking of how you mentioned being the secretary ship doubles as a way for you girls and I to get to know each other better, you know?" He said frantically upon seeing her upset.

"Ufufu, just kidding Shikikan. Onee-san's really happy knowing that you listened to her." Atago giggled. "But in all seriousness, you're quite the popular topic amongst us and despite all of our differences, we all share a curiosity in wanting to get to know you better."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Onee-san will be a bit lonely, but once you've gotten to know everyone, On-I'll be more than happy to be your secretary forever _wink_." She said with a sincere smile.

The Shikikan was blushing after hearing what Atago said, especially the last part. 'Is me being a topic of discussion is a good thing…?' He wondered.

"Rest assured Master, after welcoming all of us so warmly and hearing of your deeds, we only have good things to say of you." Belfast stepped in as she seemingly read his mind.

"W-wait did I say that out loud?" He asked dumbstruck.

"Nope, but your facial expressions are pretty obvious." Eugen smirked, darkening the Shikikan's blush once more.

"Ara Shikikan, you're just too cute!" Atago said before pulling him into a hug and burying his face into her heavenly pillows.

'How strange, I all of a sudden want to go back to sleep…' He said in his mind before the office door swung open revealing Takao, Javelin, Ayanami, Laffey, and Akashi at the doorway.

"Oi Atago! Stop being so shameless so early in the morning!" Takao shouted with a heavy blush as she walked up and pulled her off the Shikikan.

"Ara ara Takao-chan, were you waiting for your chance to come in all this time?"

"N-no! I was going to ask Shikikan what today's plans were regarding exercises and commissions!"

"Then how come you're blushing so much Takao-chan _wink?_" Atago playfully asked causing Takao to turn as red a tomato and begin stomping over and out of the room with a giggling Atago in tow.

The Shikikan had an awkward smile seeing the display before him before remembering something.

"Oh wait before you go!" He spoke up causing the two and everyone else to look at him. "Since I have everyone here, I might as well make this announcement." He said before opening his desk drawer and pulling out four files each labeled with one of the four faction's emblems on it.

"A few days ago, I took the free time to walk around the base and inspected the dorms. I didn't get to fully look into them, but I couldn't help but get the feeling that they could use some more 'personality', per se, so here." He said before pushing the files forward for the girls to gather around the one with their faction emblem on it. "In short, I'm giving you girls the liberty to add whatever you want to your dorms, within the budget listed of course. In addition, I'm giving everyone a monthly allowance for your own benefits i.e. room decorations, food, clothes, etc. That said, the better you do on missions and the more MVP titles you claim, the higher your allowance will go." He informed them all before the room exploded in uproar.

"Shikikan you're the best nya!" Akashi said before jumping into the Shikikan's lap and rubbing her face against him much like a cat would, except she had coins and gems in her eyes all while doing so.

"Yay! Nimi! Ayanami! Laffey! We can go visit that fancy café downtown and try those tasty looking cakes they have! Thank you Shikikan!" Javelin said as she jumped into the Shikikan's arms.

"Shikikan, ey." Laffey said before following in Javelin's footsteps and tackling the Shikikan as well, causing him to fall over with her, Javelin, and Akashi all piled on top of him.

"Oi you three! Get off _Herr Kommandant_!" Z23 shouted as she helped them all off him, all while smiling happily.

"Shikikan, _daijoubu_?" Ayanami asked while offering her hand to help him up.

"Ahaha, yeah." He awkwardly laughed before grabbing onto her hand and getting up. "Thanks you two." He said before giving Ayanami and Z23 head pats.

"Looks like that training hall you, Ise, and Hyuuga wanted and the shrine hall Fusou and Yamashiro wanted to build was heard Takao-chan ufufu. _Arigato_ Shikikan." Atago said as she hugged his arm.

"_Arigato gozaimasu _Shikikan! With a new training hall and on my honor, the Sakura Empire won't let you down during combat!" Takao said with sparks in her eyes and a happy grin.

"I was just wishing for a large bar to show up on base. _Ich liebe dich Herr Kommandant_ _wink_." Eugen said before grabbing hold of his free arm and pressing herself against him all while smirking happily.

"S-Shikikan, are you sure? What about the base budget?" Enterprise said as she flipped through the file in her hand.

"Oh, don't worry, thanks to the commission rewards and a really generous gift from a few days ago, there's plenty of funds left over for emergencies and necessities even after the parties yesterday and this plan I came up with. Plus, you girls are risking your lives every day, the least I can do is make sure you all are living comfortably here.' He smiled.

Shikikan didn't notice, but his wristwatch and computer both had multiple 'Affinity Up' notifications for all of the girls present in the room.

"Master, on behalf of the Royal Navy, thank you for your generosity." Belfast smiled and bowed after quickly looking through all of the Royal Navy file's contents.

He smiled before realizing something. "Oh right, Enterprise, you said you wanted to ask me about the exercise plans?" He said as he looked over to her.

"Huh? Oh yeah!" She lightly blushed and coughed before continuing. "Could we do a joint exercise with everyone and you?"

Hearing this led everyone to stop and look at Enterprise and the Shikikan.

"Ho? Sounds interesting, looks like we can continue where we left off yesterday." Prinz Eugen still holding on to the Shikikan said while smirking at the ever so red Shikikan as she leaned forward a bit.

The girls who were present during the first joint exercise had determination in their eyes as they remembered that the one who performed the best gets to spend time with Shikikan.

"Did I miss something?" Enterprise asked as she and Belfast were at a loss. After informing them of the bet, sparks were flying as the entire room was filled with intense competitive and determined auras.

'I wanna go into town with Shikikan!' Javelin thought with fire in her eyes.

'This'll be my chance to study together with _Herr Kommandant_!' Z23 thought with a determined aura.

'Training with Shikikan…' Takao was blushing intensely before she too calmed down and steeled her resolve to get MVP.

'I wonder where we should have our date ufufu.' Atago happily and confidently brainstormed.

'Now that I think of it, besides with the starter squad, I haven't really done much combat commanding yet. Plus, this will be a good chance to see how well the girls can cooperate and work in teams with each other despite being from different factions.' He concluded in his head.

"Alright since everyone seems up for it, let's do it! Could you girls tell everyone what's happening and to meet at the docks in about two hours?"

"Yes sir!" Everyone exclaimed.

"Nya! Don't forget to stop by Nui Nui's and my stores for gear nya!" Akashi said with capitalistic intent on her mind.

The girls filed out of the room as they prepared for the joint exercise.

"Alright until then, time to get to work" He said before beginning to work on the papers in front of him.

After about an hour, the Shikikan managed to make a solid dent into the massive paperwork pile. 'I should probably prepare for the exercise too.' He thought before switching over to his computer, where he finally noticed all the notifications he got.

'Looks like everyone's affection level is well above 50 thankfully. But still, why title it 'affection level' though?' He pondered before going to another screen that listed all of the girls under his command. Clicking on one, he learned that he was able to look into each girl's stats, abilities, and registered equipped gear.

'Technology for the win!' He thought before going through the list and making notes on each of the girls.

…

'That didn't even feel like an hour, let alone two' He wondered as he was making his way to the docks where everyone was there and getting ready to go. Walking up to the group, the first to notice him was a certain tomboy.

"Yo Shikikan! I hope you're looking forward to this as much as I am!" Cleveland said as she and Helena were doing stretches for a warm-up session.

All eyes turned toward him upon hearing Cleveland, greeting him with nods, smiles, and waves.

"Actually yeah, this'll be a great way to see everyone in action and some." He happily replied.

"I overheard from everyone that the one who gets MVP in this joint exercise gets a prize! That said, what prize will I be getting Shikikan?" Hornet said with sheer playful confidence.

"Don't you mean what prize sister Sara is getting? A stage to perform on sounds pretty nice!" Saratoga chimed in, leading to the two carriers' competitive auras to flare up.

"Oh! A stage sounds pretty good, count me in!' San Diego added with sparkles in her eyes.

He smiled before noticing Graf Spee with her fellow Iron Blood nearby and remembered last night.

"Do your best out there everyone! We'll start once I make a round with everyone here." He said as he began making his way to Spee and the Iron Blood girls with her.

"Hey Graf Spee, were Akashi and Yuubari able to help you with your hands?" He asked as he casual walked up to her.

"_Ja_" She said before lifting up her huge mechanized hands that began to glow a bit before they were replaced by two normal hands befitting of her.

"I'm not used to this yet but still, _vielen dank_ _Herr Kommandant_." She said with an adorable smile.

Patting her head, much to her surprise, the Shikikan smiled and spoke. "I'm glad everything worked out for you Graf Spee."

Affinity up!

'So warm and soothing…' Spee thought before blushing and shaking her head a bit so not to lose the warm touch. "You c-can just call me Spee _Herr Kommandant_." She spoke softly with her blush still very evident as she continued to enjoy the Shikikan's touch.

'She's absolutely adorable…' He blushed

"HAHAHAHAHA! My servant's been bewitched by my adorable _schwester_. But of course, who can't be!? AHAHAH-Ow!" Deutschland was brought to a halt thanks to Scharnhorst's fist hitting her on the head.

"Thank you for your kind treatment of Spee and us , _Herr Kommandant_." Gneisenau said with a small happy, yet sincere, smile.

"It was nothing really, as I told the others, you girls have to go through a lot, so the least I can do is offer some peace of mind to everyone."

"Hhmph, it's not like we needed your h-OW!" Hipper started before she too got whacked, but this time by Gneisenau.

"Ahaha…, well anyway we'll be starting soon so I'll let you girls finish getting ready." He said before walking away.

"Such a strange human, he treats us almost as if we are not just weapons of war." Z46 said as she watched the Shikikan walk away.

"It's because he doesn't see us as that." The group turned around to see Prinz Eugen sitting on a large crate drinking straight out of a large bottle of whiskey. Taking a large swig before continuing, "Nimi had overheard him during one of his calls about how he considered all of us as not weapons of destruction or as ships, but as normal women." She said as she had a small smile as she watched to Shikikan walk off towards the other girls and chatting with them as well.

The other Iron Blood girls went wide eyed hearing this.

"And you think he means what he said?" Scharnhorst asked.

"You saw him yourself, didn't you?" She replied before taking another large swig.

"Eugen's right, he's nice and seems trustworthy." Spee spoke up as she looked at her new hands.

"H-hmph! What? Are you two falling for him or something?" Hipper said as she turned away a bit, hiding a small smile that no one seemingly noticed.

"Who knows?" Eugen smirked.

"…I-I don't know." Spee honestly replied.

"W-wha!? Was my schwester the one bewitched instead!?" Deutschland shouted in surprise.

"Sigh, don't make me hit you again…" Scharnhorst said, putting a hand to her head, secretly covering a smile on her lips as well.

[Back to Shikikan]

'Looks like the Royal Navy girls are all over here.' He said as he saw them sitting around some tables enjoying some snacks and tea.

"Welcome Master, care for some tea?" Belfast smiled as she poured him a cup of tea.

"Thank you, Belfast." He said as he took the cup of Darjeeling tea brewed to perfection by the perfect head maid herself.

"Good day Milord." Illustrious smiled brilliantly, blindingly so as she elegantly sipped her tea.

"I'm looking forward to seeing if your commanding abilities match your cooking abilities Shikikan." KGV challenged him with confidence as she put down her cup.

Deciding to play along, he countered, "looks like we'll have to find out", with a small smirk of his own.

"Ho?" Her smile widened in interest.

"Looks like it'll be a fine day for a joint exercise after all." Wales chimed in with excitement apparent in her voice as well.

He chuckled a bit before he overheard clicking sounds and looking over to where it was coming from, he realized it was Sheffield inspecting and loading a pair of pistols in her hands as Edinburgh and Unicorn looked on in wonder. Her speed and efficiency in loading the guns was quite mesmerizing to now three onlookers.

"Master, it is quite rude to be staring at someone without permission." Sheffield said bluntly with a blank expression.

"Ahaha…..sorry, you just looked really cool and seemed to be having fun that I couldn't help but just admire you for a bit." He laughed awkwardly.

Affinity up!

An almost invisible blush appeared for a split second on Sheffield's face. "Is this your attempt at subterfuge before the joint exercise Master?"

The Shikikan couldn't help but smile seeing her without a blank expression for once.

"Um, Onii-chan?" Shikikan felt a small pull on his sleeve. Looking down, he noticed Unicorn, as adorable as ever.

"What's wrong?" He smiled as he crouched down to meet her at eye level and patted her head.

"C-can Unicorn be on Onii-chan's team?" She mustered up her confidence to ask.

"Sure, but is that okay with everyone else?" He said as he looked around to see what the others thought. They seemed to be looking at each other before nodding their heads and turning back to face him.

Wales decided to be the one to speak. "Shikikan, with the exception of Unicorn, we've received orders from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth herself, to ascertain your abilities as a commander. That said, we planned on using this joint exercise for the test. It's nothing against you Shikikan, but we j-"

"It's okay Wales, I understand the concern. Me being new to all of this isn't really reassuring to you girls who have to risk your lives under my command. So, with this exercise, I'm looking forward to putting everyone's concerns at ease." He smiled, unknowing that his eyes glistened with determination.

"Well said Shikikan!" KGV said standing up and brandishing her sword and holding it upwards. "It looks like we won't have to worry about holding back after all Wales."

"Heh, indeed. I hope you're ready to live up those words Shikikan." Wales said as she followed in KGV's footsteps and brandished her sword as well.

"Fret not Master, I'll escort you to Vestal once this is all over." Sheffield said as spun her guns in her hands and holstered them with ease.

'Yikes…, looks I stoked the fire a bit too much. I'm really going to have to bring my 'A', no 'S', game for this. ' He sweat dropped.

"D-don't worry Onii-chan, Unicorn will protect you!" Unicorn exclaimed as she moved herself in front of Shikikan.

"Aw, thanks Unicorn." He said as he patted the adorable girl's head.

"So this is where you were Shikikan." He turned around to see Shoukaku, Atago, Fusou, and Yamashiro walking up to him.

"I overheard the conversation you were having Shikikan. I'm looking forward to seeing how you'll live up to your bold words hehe." Shoukaku teased.

"I hope we aren't intruding Milord." Fusou chimed in.

"Nope, I was just about to head out to see if everyone finally arrived. Do you know where's everyone else from the Sakura Empire?" He asked looking around.

"Takao-chan decided to head out into the ocean over there to warm up with her katana and Zuikaku, Ise, and Hyuuga followed her." Atago explained as she pointed to where the four could be seen sparring with their blades clashing with each other.

'Even from this distance, I can tell I don't want to be anywhere near the receiving end of those swings…'

"Sniff sniff, something smells really good." Yamashiro said as she continued to sniff and walk forward until she lightly bumped into the Shikikan."Wa! Sorry Milord!"

"No worries." He said as he ruffled her hair a bit, leading to her ears perk upright.

"Ehehe, _kimochi_"

"Pardon the intrusion, but is it perhaps the tea or snacks? You're welcome to have some if you'd like." Belfast said with a tray full of tea and cookies in her hands.

"Sniff sniff, these smell good too! And really!? Thank you!" Yamashiro said as she took a cookie and happily ate it.

"Would the Sakura Empire ladies care to join us in some leisurely tea talk?" Illustrious invited.

"It would be our pleasure." Shoukaku said as she happily took some tea and sat down next to Illustrious and as Atago, Fusou, and Yamashiro followed suit.

"Enjoy your time ladies. Once I finish making this round, I'll signal for everyone to meet me on the docks." He said before heading out.

"Hmm.."

"What's wrong Yamashiro?" Fusou asked.

"Hmm? Oh! Sorry Nee-sama, I was just wondering what that nice smell near Milord was." Yamashiro pondered.

Putting the pieces together, the girls at the table couldn't help but giggle.

'Looks like I've got some competition' was a common thought among the girls present there. **(A/N: Who in particular? Who knows? :D) **

{Back to Shikikan a few minutes later:}

'Alright I think that's almost everyone.' He thought before he heard the sound of wings flapping and a sensation on his shoulder.

"Oh, hey Grim." He said as he petted the eagle.

"Heh, looks like Grim's really taken a liking to you."

Shikikan turned around to see Enterprise walking towards him with the starter squad, Eldridge, Akashi, Shiranui, Yuubari, and Shouhou in tow.

"Oh I was wondering where you girls were."

"We all were just feeding Grim lunch!" Javelin said as bubbly as ever.

"Are we almost ready _Herr Kommandant_?" Z23 asked.

"Laffey, wake up" Ayanami who was shouldering the sleepy bunny girl said as she shook her a bit.

"ZZz…Kay…." She responded sleepily.

"Yep, everyone's here so we can finally begin."

"I'll go let everyone know nya! Come help me Nui Nui!" Akashi said pulling a sighing Shiranui along.

"Goshujin" Yuubari said getting the Shikikan's attention. "I took the liberty to modify the rocket shoes Akashi made. These should last much longer and be easier to control." She said handing him the improved rocket shoes.

"Oh! Thank you Yuubari!" He said excitedly while happily patting her on the head.

"If Goshujin wants, I can modify your cruiser with some more of Yuubari's inventions for this exercise." She said with stars in her eyes since it would be perfect for her to test them out.

"What type of inventions do you have in mind?" He asked before she whispered secretively into his ear.

'Looks like I just got some secret weapons.' He happily thought as all sorts of strategies and plans appeared in his head "Sounds good! Please do!" He eagerly requested.

"Ufufu, it'll only take a few minutes to install everything so leave it to me!" She said before dashing off to his cruiser.

A few moments later…

"Ahem nya! Attention everyone! We are ready to begin the joint exercise nya! Please gather in front of the docks nya!" Akashi said voice could be heard through multiple speakers set up around the base.

Hearing this all the girls, made their way to where the Shikikan was.

"So, for today's exercise, I'll be today's commentator nya! Here with me today will be Nui Nui, who'll be helping me commentate and explain the rules of today's exercise nya!"

"Sigh fine…ahem, the rules are simple. The Shikikan along with a few select kansen will go against the rest of the fleet here in this war game. Everyone will be given both a blue ribbon and a red ribbon to wear. Blue means you're on the Shikikan's team while red means the opposite. The goal is to completely void the opposing side of any of their ribbons."

"In addition, nya, if you get your ribbon stolen, surrender, or are deemed by us commentators that you have lost, you have to switch ribbons and join the other side nya! First side void of ribbons loses nya!"

"Yikes, I'd hate to be in your shoes Shikikan ahaha…" Hornet laughed awkwardly.

"Finally, we have a word from Vestal who will be taking care of any and all injuries nya!"

"Hello everyone! Even though everyone will be using blanks, they'll still hurt if you aren't careful! I'll be monitoring everyone so once Akashi or I deem you unfit to continue, come to me for repairs. Good luck!"

"And don't forget nya! Whoever gets MVP today will have their wish, within reason of course, granted nya!"

"So who's on the obvious losing side?" Hipper said as she jammed a finger at the Shikikan.

"Since you're at a pretty big disadvantage here Shikikan go ahead and choose any 10 kansen to join your side nya."

For a while now, the Shikikan had been quietly brainstorming. 'I could just ask the strongest members of each fleet to join my side, but this exercise doubles as a way to show everyone my capabilities as commander so doing that will prove nothing.' He spent a few more seconds putting everything together before he made up his mind on how to win and who to pick.

"I pick Ayanami, Z23, Javelin, Laffey, Yuubari, and Unicorn for my team. That'll be it for me." He announced boldly with a confident smile.

A few seconds later…

"EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?" The dockyard exploded in surprise.

"Is this what the phrase 'digging one's own grave' means?" Z46 questioned sincerely.

"Nya!? Shikikan, are you sure? You're only adding more opponents by not filling up your roster nya!"

"I can't tell if you're confusing bravery for foolishness Shikikan." Wales sighed.

"Has the pressure gotten to you _dummkopf_?" Hipper chastised.

"Not at all. It might not sound very convincing, but well…, you'll all see for yourselves. Plus, I'm hoping that me winning this will help alleviate everyone's worries about being under my command." He said with utter sincerity.

"Ho? Even with all of us against you, you think you'll have a chance of winning? How amusing, I'm in." Deutschland laughed.

"Heh, you're much bolder than I thought you'd be Shikikan. That said, I'm still going all out. I hope your ready." Enterprise seemed to be amused as well.

"I admire your bravery Shikikan, but even this just seems reckless to me." Ise shook her head.

The Shikikan's smile did not falter one bit, but instead turned into a confident smirk. "Don't worry about me or feel like you have to hold back, especially since you'll be on my side before you know it if you do. Let's go set up blue team." He said before heading out with his team in tow.

"Those are some bold fighting words _Herr Kommandant_, I like it ahaha!" Scharnhorst laughed

"I can't help but shake the feeling he's got something planned..." Gneisenau was in deep thought.

"Um, well then nya! We'll be using this entire ocean for the exercise today, but the Manjuus will be posted at the edges of where the boundaries will be so don't go past them nya! You'll all be starting here while the Shikikan heads out first nya!"

"We'll start once the Shikikan gives us the signal that he's ready." Shiranui added.

{With the Shikikan}

The Shikikan and his team were currently walking towards where his cruiser was docked. Upon arrival, they noticed Yuubari looking intently at a clipboard.

"Hey Yuubari, were you able to set everything up?" He asked making his way to her.

"Perfect timing Goshujin! I just finished setting everything up! Here's a list of all of the inventions I mentioned." She said as she handed him the clipboard with images and descriptions of the 3 prototype weapons she installed onto the cruiser and 3 other prototype equipment she had at the ready.

He could feel his smile growing bigger and bigger as he skimmed through the papers. "This is perfect Yuubari! If we win today, I'm definitely nominating you for MVP!" He exclaimed as he hugged her.

Affinity Up!

"Wa! Goshujin! I'm glad you like them, but this is embarrassing in front of everyone!" She was blushing up a storm.

"Aha, sorry about that Yuubari, but still thank you for the help. Now let's go win this everyone!"

"Yeah!" Everyone chanted before climbing aboard his cruiser and sailing out.

"So _Herr Kommandant_, what exactly is our battle plan?" Z23 asked.

"Are we going to be like ninjas and ambush them!?" Javelin asked with her, Ayanami's, and Laffey's hands in tiger hand signs.

"Nope but that does sound fun." He chuckled before getting serious and carefully explaining them the plan. After about ten minutes had passed and their destination in view, he had thoroughly filled them all in.

"Wow…" Z23 was awestruck.

"Shikikan, how long have you been planning all of this?" Ayanami asked as she too was surprised.

"Since this morning, why do you ask?" He smiled.

"I-It's just…." She wasn't sure how to describe it.

"So well thought out!" Javelin chimed in as she had sparkles in her eyes.

"Laffey…ready to release limiters!" Even Laffey surprisingly showed signs of excitement instead of sleepiness.

"Even though a lot of the plan is based on assumptions and guesses, I have to agree with Javelin since this just might work! Well done _Herr Kommandant!_" Z23 praised him.

"Thanks everyone! I'm hoping to impress and earn everyone's trust today, so I decided that it's all or nothing right now."

"Onii-chan is so cool!" Unicorn thought out loud.

"Heh, thanks Unicorn." He said patting her head briefly before walking to the bow of the cruiser. "Well then, shall we begin?"

"Yeah!" Everyone said as they summoned their riggings and excitement filled the air.

"Alrighty then!" He said as he radioed Akashi. "All set Akashi!"

{With the others still on base}

"Roger nya!" She said as she turned on her microphone. "The Shikikan's team is ready! Prepare to sortie everyone nya!"

"Time to see what the Shikikan is made of everyone! Remember, do not hold back and show the Shikikan the glory that is the Royal Navy!" KGV exclaimed as she brandished her sword, jumped into the waters, and sailed out with the rest of the Royal Navy following her lead.

"If she thinks we're just going to sit back and let the Royal Navy get to _Herr Kommandant_ first then she's got another thing coming! Let's go! Hail Iron Blood!" Scharnhorst announced as she led the Iron Bloods out in search of the Shikikan's team.

"Alright everyone! For the sake of our livelihood and future, let us show the Shikikan the extent of the Sakura Empire's power and see how he fairs hehe!" Shoukaku chuckled before playing her flute, signaling the rest of the Sakura Empire to charge out.

"Any luck Helena?" Cleveland asked the blunette as she was using her SG radar to find the Shikikan.

"Strange, with the boundaries set for this exercise, he should be within SG's detection radius, but all I'm picking up is static."

"Hmm? Could this be Shikikan's doing?" Saratoga guessed.

"Heh, looks like the Shikikan means business if he took the time to jam Helena's radar scans." Hornet smirked.

"Looks like we're doing this the old-fashioned way then. Warriors of the Eagle Union, move out!" Enterprise shouted as she led the Eagles out to find the Shikikan.

Last but not least were the two representatives from the Dragon Empery.

"Ping Hai! Hurry up! The exercise has already started, and everyone's long gone!" Ning Hai shouted as her sister was munching on a _baozi_.

"Kayyyy." She said as she stuffed the last big bite into her mouth. "Okay, let's go Nee-chan!"

"Sigh, even though the Shikikan's against all four major factions, we still don't get an advantage since it's just us two right now…..Wait no! Complaining does nothing! Ahem! What I meant to say is that even though it's just us, we will be the ones getting the MVP prize-wait, Ping Hai where'd you go?" She stopped and looked around.

"Nee-chan we need to catch up to everyone else! Also, I found this bun in your pocket so thank you! Gnom." She said as bit into the bun and was in the near distance already sailing off.

"Ping Hai! Wait for me! Also stop eating my buns!" She said as she dashed off to catch up to her younger sister.

{Back to the Shikikan}

"Well girls, time to put this plan into action, let's move out!" He said as he waved his swung his arm out forward.

"Yes sir!" They all shouted in unison before setting the plan into motion.

* * *

**Hello again everyone! Feels good to be back! Life got in the way again but I'm back and well into the next chapter already! **

**So who's excited for the new Russian ships!? I sure know I am! And of course, the other factions including the new Northern Parliament shipfus will be making their way into this fanfic, in due time of course!**

**I'm really hoping y'all are still enjoying my fanfic as much as I'm still enjoying writing it whenever I can and are looking forward to the action next chapter! **

**Thank you so much again for your favs, follows, comments, and patience with my erratic pace!**

**So, what plan(s) has the Shikikan set up for the girls? Will he turn out victorious and earn their trust, or will he flop and be forced into a walk of shame? Tune in next time to find out on An Unsung Legend Chapter 9: The Shikikan!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: The Shikikan!**

**Welcome one and all to chapter 9! Just wanted to say thank you so much for all the favs, follows, and comments! Hope y'all enjoy more chapters to come!**

**So without further ado, let's get to it!**

* * *

"**In every time, in every world, the strong polish their fangs while the weak polish their wisdom." Sora, No Game, No Life**

* * *

Currently the Shikikan has found himself in a naval exercise against practically everyone who had arrived on base in the past couple of days, which then led to this doubling as an attempt to prove himself to them as their new commander. The girls are now on the hunt to find him first and get the MVP award of having a wish of theirs granted.

"Any luck finding where Shikikan and his team went you two?" A voice questioned over a secured radio channel.

"Sorry Atago, but my planes haven't spotted hide nor hair of any of them." Zuikaku said as she searched together with Shoukaku, Yamashiro, and Fusou. The Sakura Empire had decided to split into two fleets to widen their search radius. "How goes your end?" She added.

"Same for us, it's like he's vanished from thin air. Looks like this might be a bit more difficult than we thought ahaha." Ise laughed as she was currently moving on ahead with Hyuuga, Shouhou, Takao, and Atago.

"Where could he have gone?" Shouhou questioned as she had her planes scouting the surrounding areas, not noticing two surprisingly well-hidden figures lying down and hiding under what seems to be some sort of camouflage cloak. Once Ise's group moved past them and Shouhou's planes were out of sight, the two figures sneaked into a position behind them.

"Shikikan, we made it into position _des_." Ayanami whispered into her radio.

"Any sign that they've noticed?" He questioned.

"Nope, with these ocean camouflage cloaks Yuubari gave us, we're almost like real ninjas hehe!" Javelin whispered loudly.

Shikikan chuckled a bit before continuing. "Good to hear, go ahead and proceed to phase two when ready."

"Yes sir!" They said before jumping up and out of their cloaks and taking aim at their priority target.

"The power of the "Demon", come feel it!" "Witness Javelin's performance!" They shouted before launching a hailstorm of barrages at an unsuspecting light carrier.

"Huh? WAAA!?" Shouhou shouted before being showered with both destroyers' full barrages.

"Shouhou!?" The four in her group shouted as they all looked back in shock.

_"Nya! Shouhou is unable to continue! Please switch to a blue ribbon nya!" Akashi announced on her mic that connected to everyone participating in the exercise._

_"That looked quite unpleasant. Come see me at the docks before heading back out." Vestal added._

"Wuu…okayyyy, s-sorry everyone." Shouhou said as she had spirals in her eyes and imaginary Manjuus floating around her head as she stumbled back to the docks.

"Mission complete _des_." Ayanami informed the Shikikan.

"It worked out perfectly Shikikan!" Javelin exclaimed.

"Great work you two! Head on back into position for phase three."

"Yes sir!"

Ise's group was dumbfounded at what was going on as they overheard what the two destroyers were saying. Noticing them, Ayanami bowed briefly and Javelin waved to them before the two put on their cloaks again and scurried away.

"Hmm, should we go after them?" Atago questioned.

"Nay, without Shouhou, we lack a bird's eye view of our surroundings, which would lead us into another potential trap or ambush." Takao rationalized as she recovered first from the ambush.

"Wha-What just happened!?" Yamashiro yelled over her radio to Ise's group.

"Looks like we got caught in Shikikan's trap. Be on your guard everyone!" Ise exclaimed.

"It seems Shikikan has taken advantage of Yuubari's whimsical inventions. Let's just hope those cloaks are the least of our worries." Takao rationalized.

"Ara, looks like Onee-san might have to get a bit more serious, to match Shikikan of course ufufu."

"Tsk, can't believe I got hit by their sneak attack too." Hyuuga huffed as she took a hit on her right side as well.

"Good thing your ribbon's tied on your other arm, huh Hyuuga? Want to pay the Shikikan back with a barrage of our own?" Ise laughed.

"You read my mind!" She smirked before brushing off the debris on her and getting up unfazed.

[With Shoukaku's group]

"Zuikaku, send some planes over to where Ise's group was and see if you can find their assailants." Shoukaku ordered.

"Sure thing!" She said before sending half her planes westward.

About five minutes later…

"All clear in front of us. Wait…, I think something's moving along the other side of that small island over there." Zuikaku pointed to where her planes spotted movement.

"Hmm..oh! I think I see something! Let me move a little bit closer!" Yamashiro said as she skated westward by herself.

"W-wait Yamashiro! We haven't air swept that area yet!" Zuikaku shouted.

"H-huh?" She looked back before she yelled "Hu-waaa!" as she tripped over what was seemingly a fake sea mine.

"Yamashiro! Are you-kya!" Fusou was stopped mid-sentence by a flurry of fighter and torpedo bomber plane attacks from behind.

"Yamashiro! Fusou!" The 5th carrier division carriers yelled.

_"Yamashiro and Fusou are out. Switch ribbons, head back to the docks, and wait for Shikikan's orders." Shiranui announced into her mic._

"Uwa….I got too excited, sorry everyone." Yamashiro said downtrodden before heading over to Fusou. "Are you okay Fusou-nee-sama!?" She exclaimed.

"Fuuuu, yes, but I'm ashamed I let my guard down. My apologies everyone. Best of luck." She bowed before she and Yamashiro skated back to the docks.

"Shoukaku! Zuikaku! Are you two alright!?" Takao yelled over the radio to them.

"Yes, but it looks like we fell into one of Shikikan's traps as well. Seems like he's set up some undetectable fake sea mines around here and somehow snuck behind us so do watch out." Shoukaku informed.

"Ney Takao-chan, with Shouhou, Yamashiro, and Fusou gone, we should probably group up with Shoukaku and Zuikaku and increase our defenses." Atago chimed in.

"Agreed, let us regroup on the island near you two and re-plan everything. It seems we've greatly underestimated the Shikikan." Takao commanded over the radio.

"Yes, he's much more capable then we expected. I'm quite impressed ufufu." Shoukaku giggled.

"S-shoukaku-nee, I get why you're impressed but still…." Zuikaku began.

"Don't worry Zuikaku, I understand the scenario we're in. Let's hurry and group up with the others and pay the Shikikan back for the surprises ufufu." She smiled with a mischievous aura surrounding her.

[With Shikikan on his light cruiser]

"Nice aiming Unicorn! Well done!" He said to the purple haired light carrier as he patted her head.

"Ehehe, thank you Onii-chan!" She blushed happily as she enjoyed the sensation.

"Looks like the first traps worked perfectly, let's keep it up everyone!" He radioed.

"Yeah!" His team chanted.

"H-how did you know that the Sakura Empire would be where they were!?" Z23 asked flabbergasted.

"Long story short, since the area from the base to here is riddled with rock formations, that wide open area seemed ideal for a sea minefield to me. I had Ayanami and Javelin set up for a sneak attack a ways away from the field so that anyone who tried to follow after them would be too distracted to notice Yuubari's undetectable sea mine inventions before them." He explained.

"I made those sea mines out of a rubber composite that qualifies as a radar absorbent material, or RAM for short, on a whim so they shouldn't appear so easily on a normal radar scan. That said, I'm still surprised you managed to come up with that trap so quickly _Goshujin_!" Yuubari said.

"The idea just popped into my head heh." He smiled shyly.

"Onii-chan is so cool!" Unicorn praised with stars in her eyes.

"She's right, well done _Herr KommandantI_!" Z23 praised him as well.

"Thanks, you two." He smiled. "Any updates on the others by the way?"

"_Ja_, Royal Navy and Eagle Union both decided to split up into smaller groups to expand their areas for us, while Iron Blood is traveling in one large fleet. They've started to slow down and have intensified their searches after hearing Akashi's and Shiranui's announcements though." Z23 informed.

"Ning Hai and Ping Hai are nowhere to be found….zzzz" Laffey mumbled.

"No turning back now since we've made our move, go ahead and proceed to the next phase you two."

"Yes sir!" They said before ending the radio call.

"Are your other inventions good to go Yuubari?" He asked as he looked at her checking out her creations.

"_Hai_ _Goshujin_!"

"Alright, let's get a move on, then shall we? I can't just sit back and let you girls do all the work after all." He chuckled before revving up his cruiser and making another call on his radio. "Shouhou, Fusou, Yamashiro, are you three alright?"

"Hmm? Oh Milord! _Hai!_ Vestal just finished checking on all of us and said that we are able to return to the exercise." Fusou picked up while Shouhou and Yamashiro sat besides her.

"I'm glad to hear that because the next steps in my plan involve you three." He said before giving them detailed instructions on what to do. Upon hearing it all, the three immediately sailed back on out.

[With the Iron Blood]

"Ho? Looks like _Herr Kommandant's_ made his move." Eugen smirked as heard Akashi's announcement. Currently, she was sailing with her Iron Blood allies, scouring the rocky area around them for the Shikikan.

"Ugh, this would be a lot less of a pain if Graf Zeppelin were here." Hipper sighed as she continued looking around.

"Despite how she acts, she has a pretty caring personality, what with her not wanting to leave Tirpitz all on her own again." Z46 commented.

"She's not much different from you in a way Hipper haha!" Scharnhorst added.

"H-huh!? And what exactly do you mean by that!?" Said a very flustered tsundere.

'BOOM!' The sound of cannon fire was heard, and a large shell was coming right towards them.

"Hah!?" Hipper said before the group dispersed, causing the shell to hit nothing but the water in the center gap of their formation.

"That's some aim whoever over there has…" Eugen remarked as she looked over to where the shot came from, spotting a large cruiser a far distance away.

"Enough chitchat, looks we've got company ahaha!" Deutschland said as she readied her rigging for a fight, to which everyone else did as well.

"Please hit!" A voice said before a flurry of cannon fire was blasted right at Deutschland's backside.

"Agh!" She said before faceplanting into the water from the force of the fire.

"A sneak attack!? How!?" Scharnhorst before turning towards where the shots came from, revealing a lone Z23.

"Ho? Did you come to greet us yourself Nimi?" Eugen smirked before firing at Z23.

"Oh no! My aim was off! Eep!" Z23 shrieked before diving behind a large rock pillar.

"You okay Deutschland?" Spee asked her elder sister as she moved to her side.

"Ugh..., oh I'm SO getting you back for that Zed!" She said before also firing at the pillar Z23 was hiding behind causing it to explode from the cannon fire. Once the smoke and debris cleared, Z23 was nowhere to be seen.

"Where'd she go!?" Deutschland screamed before more cannon fire impacted the area around them from behind.

"Another ambush!?" Gneisenau was surprised as she looked around to see Fusou and Yamashiro firing at them from afar.

"Looks like they've recovered and were quickly put straight to work. How long can you keep me amused _Herr Kommandant_?" Eugen's smirk widened.

"Anton, Bruno, Caesar, all cannons ready!" Scharnhorst yelled as she fired all of her cannons at the two Sakura Empire battleships.

"Watch out Yamashiro!" Fusou yelled as she jumped to the right.

"Hai!" Yamashiro said before jumping to the left.

"Tsk, we were careless and got ourselves surrounded." Scharnhorst scoffed.

"Watch out, the ship towards the north is firing again!" Gneisenau yelled as she saw the large cruiser fire another shell at them. They dispersed thinking it was just another normal shelling, but what they didn't know was that it was anything but.

'Bang!' Instead of crashing into the water, the shell exploded right in front of them, releasing a loud flash and deafening bang, catching all of the Iron Blood girls off-guard.

"What is this!?" Deutschland and Hipper yelled as they tried to cover their eyes and ears from the sudden flashbang.

"Now Laffey!" Z23's yelled from an unknown, yet nearby distance.

"Ey!" The group heard someone dashing towards them but were unable to react in time.

_"Wow nya! Graf Spee and Z46 have lost their ribbons nya!" Akashi yelled into her mic._

"HUH!?" The Iron Blood girls yelled as they finally were able to regain their bearings, only to see a certain Eagle Union bunny-eared girl holding two red ribbons in one hand and a peace sign in the other.

_"The Shikikan has also asked us to also announce that if you aren't injured, you should stay put where you are until he contacts you instead of making the long haul back to the docks." Shiranui added._

"…How vexing." Z46 and Spee pouted before they both took a seat on some nearby flat rock formations.

"Well done everyone! Head on back here so we can continue the plan!" Shikikan said to the two destroyers via radio.

"Yes sir!" They all said before beginning to flee the scene.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hipper said as she trained her rigging at the two destroyers right before another shot from the Shikikan's cruiser was sent at the group once more.

"Oh no you don't! Three times is pushing it!" A very annoyed Scharnhorst said before blasting the incoming shell, only for a massive amount of smoke to blanket the entire area.

"W-what now!?" Deutschland said in between coughs from the thick smoke.

"Now's our chance Laffey, let's go!" Z23 yelled.

"Kayyyy." She said before the two dashed off under the smoke's protection.

After a few more seconds, the smoke thinned before completely vanishing from the area with neither the Shikikan's cruiser nor the two destroyers anywhere in sight.

"We were completely fooled." Gneisenau sighed.

"Ugh, I can't believe I of all people fell to that servant's trap!" Deutschland scoffed.

"Well played _Herr Kommandant_, looks like I'll be able to have some fun after all." Eugen laughed. "Let's regroup and figure out where to go from here, since it's obvious enough that we've been completely humiliated and fooled ufufu. See you later Spee, Z46." She continued before heading out.

"Tsk, just you wait _Herr Kommandant!_" Scharnhorst, Deutschland, and Hipper all thought in unison before following after Eugen, while Gneisenau sighed a bit before a small smile appeared on her face.

"Despite all that's happened, I'm feeling a lot more confident with him as _Kommandant_." Gneisenau thought aloud before she too left the area.

A few moments after they left…

"Spee, Z46?" A voice radioed over to the two shipgirls on standby.

They both looked at each other before asking. _"Herr Kommandant?"_

"Are you two okay to come join me northwest? You should be able to meet up with Z23, Laffey, Fusou and Yamashiro on your way here."

"_Ja_, I'd hate to admit it, but your ambush was quite effective and efficient." Z46 spoke up.

"Most impressive _Herr Kommandant._" Spee added with a small smile.

"Heh, thanks you two. But we're just getting started. See you soon!" He said before signing off.

"Time to prove ourselves Fize." Spee said as she jumped off the rock she was sitting on before heading off northwest with Z46 in tow.

{With Z23 and Laffey]

"Phew we managed to get out unscathed." Z23 sighed in relief as she and Laffey were currently heading to where the Shikikan was.

"W-wait up!" A voice yelled.

The two destroyers were startled and were about to fire at the voice but stopped once they realized it was Yamashiro and Fusou who also made it out in one piece.

"Nice work over there you two." Fusou smiled.

"Yeah! Milord's plan sounded a bit confusing, but it worked out really well!" Yamashiro added with stars in her eyes.

"Oh, two more incoming." Laffey said as she noticed Graf Spee and Z46 heading towards them as well.

"Glad to see you are unhurt from Eugen's and Deutschland's volleys, Zed." Spee said upon arrival.

"How were you able to escape unscathed?" Z46 wondered.

"Thanks to Yuubari's invention here, I managed to sneak away." Z23 said as she looked at the camouflage cloak in her hand.

"Shikikan spotted." Laffey said before racing on ahead to where a shallow cave was. Parked inside was the Shikikan's large cruiser and Ayanami, Laffey, Yuubari, Unicorn, Shouhou, and the Shikikan himself awaiting them all on the cruiser's bow.

"Good work everyone!" Javelin said as everyone hopped aboard the cruiser.

"Want something to drink?" Ayanami offered with oxy-colas and water bottles in her arms before handing them out.

...

"Laffey, full of energy…probably." She said as she quickly finished off her oxy-cola.

"Alright everyone, ready to continue?" Shikikan asked as he was feeling pretty good from success after success thus far.

"Yeah!" They all chanted.

"Alright now that we've essentially doubled our firepower, I think it's time we start getting a bit more bold on the offensive front." He suggested before explaining the next part of the plan.

Upon finishing breaking down his plan to the girls, everyone looked at him in awe.

"Uhm, did I say something weird?" He asked, starting to feel shy from all of them staring at him.

"How long has _Herr Kommandant_ been plotting out this complex campaign?" Z46 was awestruck.

"About this morning when the girls in my office at the time and myself decided to hold this event today."

"Amazing Milord! To think you thought of all of that in such a short time!" Fusou said in pure amazement.

"So that's why you seemed so confident when you only picked five to join your side at the start." Spee concluded.

The Shikikan smiled shyly as he rubbed his head awkwardly. 'Thanks to everyone's help, everything's been going smoothly, so let's keep it up until the very end!"

"Yeah!" The girls chanted once more before the Shikikan signaled to his Manjuu cruiser drivers to rev up the engines and sail on out.

[Moments ago with the Eagle Union]

_"Wow nya! Graf Spee and Z46 have lost their ribbons nya!" Akashi yelled into her mic._

"Again already? Man, he works fast. Any luck with your radar Helena?"

"Sorry Cleve, but the jamming signal's gotten stronger here."

"That must mean we're getting close! Keep a sharp lookout everyone!" Hornet said a she had her planes scour the area around them. "Any luck on your end Enty-nee?"

"Nope, Saratoga, San Diego, Eldridge, and I looked around the islands near our location, but came up empty-handed." Enterprise responded as she shook her head.

"He's done a good job hiding his tracks, but Sister Sara will find Shikikan soon enough!" Saratoga said as she launched the rest of her planes out to widen her search.

"Shikikan's pretty good at hide-and-seek huh Eldridge?" San Diego asked the adorable twin tailed blonde who only replied with some sparks and a nod.

"Hmm? I'm picking up another radio transmission." Enterprise said as she accepted the call.

"How do you do, Miss Enterprise?" An elegant voice asked.

"Belfast? Did something come up?"

"Unfortunately, no, we've had no luck on our end in finding Master." Belfast started.

"That said, we decided to ask our long time Eagle Union allies and see if they've gotten any luck." Wales spoke as she entered the transmission as well.

"Looks like we're in the same boat then cuz we've come up empty handed so far too." Hornet chimed in.

"Hmm, Shikikan's done a good job disrupting the Iron Blood and Sakura Empire ranks thus far. Plus, with him getting more and more allies, this is starting to sound quite troublesome. Shall we agree on keeping in touch?" Wales suggested.

"Sounds good, but once we do find him, what will do about the MVP prize? Sister Sara is really looking forward to having a stage to perform on, you know?" Saratoga asked smugly.

"Heh, if I may, I believe the phrase 'all's fair in love and war' would suffice for that matter?" Belfast suggested with equal levels of smugness.

"A friendly competition it is then. Good hunting our Eagle Union friends!" Wales stated before signing off.

"Looks like things are heating up! I'm getting more and more pumped up! Let's hurry and find him everyone!" Hornet shouted before signing off as well and resuming her search.

"I look forward to facing off against you and your fleet soon Shikikan." Enterprise smiled softly before she too dashed off with her group.

[Back with the Shikikan]

Currently, the Shikikan and his team were cruising alongside the edge of a nearby island.

"Hm? Oh! Shikikan! My planes have spotted someone! I think it's a group of girls from the Royal Navy! And they're heading this way!" Shouhou yelled from the stern of the cruiser.

"I don't think they've spotted us yet Onii-chan. Illustrious nee-chan and everyone else looks like they're still looking around as they move forward." Unicorn added.

'Looks like it's time to challenge the Royal Navy then. Hopefully they haven't teamed up with the Eagles yet.' The Shikikan thought with his eyes closed before opening them. "Alright everyone! Looks like we're going to start a bit earlier than I expected, but let's commence the plan now!"

"Yes sir!" Everyone yelled before they all jumped off the boat and got into their designated positions.

"Hey Yuubari.." He said as he turned around to face the cute genius inventor/light cruiser.

"_Hai Goshujin_?"

"Let's save off on using your CFG's for now. I get the feeling we're going to want to use 'that' against a certain someone in the Royal Navy in particular." He said as he pointed at a certain device behind Yuubari.

"Hmm?" She hummed as she looked around to see what he was pointing at. "Okay, I'll go ahead and set it up now then." She said before getting straight to work on the device.

A few moments later, three distinct Royal Navy girls were sailing towards the island the Shikikan was sailing alongside moments ago.

"I don't think he's near here Belfast, Sheffy." Edinburgh said as she had a hand over her eyes as she searched the area.

"Miss Illustrious said that she could've sworn one of her planes spotted irregular movement around here." Sheffield said as she cocked her twin guns and scoured the area.

"Be careful not to underestimate Master you two. He's already done a number on the Sakura Empire and Iron Blood ladies." Belfast said as she slowed down her pace a bit to look around, specifically at some bushes near the shoreline of the island.

[In said bushes]

"Eeek, I didn't think we'd be against Belfast! Her maid's intuition is really scary! Oh no, I think she already noticed us!" A voice whispered loudly as she saw the Head Maid staring in her direction.

"She's looking straight at us _des_."

"Zzz…change of plan and fight here?"

"Oi you three! Be quiet or Shikikan's plan will be ruined!" Another girl whispered loudly.

"Shh!" The three put their fingers to their lips while the fourth girl quickly put her hands over her mouth.

[With the three maids]

"See something Belfast?" Sheffield asked before looking towards where she was looking. "Looks like those bushes could use some 'trimming'," She said before opening fire on said bushes with her guns.

As she did so, four destroyers jumped out of the line of fire and summoned their riggings in response.

"…Okay! I admit I'm at fault too, but you three are not exactly innocent either!" Z23 shouted with a bright red and embarrassed expression before taking a quick deep breath and calming herself down. "Alright change of plans! Open fire everyone!" She shouted before firing at the three maids, to which the other members of the start squad followed suit.

"Eek!" Edinburgh said as she ducked and dove for cover behind a large rock, while Belfast and Sheffield skillfully skated and dodged the shots.

"Your intuition is as frightening as ever." Sheffield commented as Belfast was still calm and smiling while dodging effortlessly.

"This might be bad." Laffey deadpanned.

"_Daijoubu_, we have the numbers advantage _des_. Ayanami, advancing!" She said before taking out her sword and charging at Belfast.

"Ara, looks like we might have our hands full here Sheffy, Edinburgh." Belfast smiled calmly before she blocked the incoming attack from Ayanami with her armguards.

Ayanami continued her assault by slashing wildly at Belfast, but the Head Maid was able to block attack after attack. Realizing this was getting nowhere, Ayanami aimed her main gun point blank at Belfast and fired, surprising the Head Maid and breaking her smiling façade. Belfast managed to jump out of the way, only to be forced to dodge more incoming shots from Ayanami.

"Ey!" Javelin shouted as she charged Belfast, causing the Head Maid to put up both her arms to block her javelin thrust.

Seeing this opportunity, Ayanami switched gears and swung her katana at Belfast, sending her flying backwards. Recovering from the two's teamwork, Belfast regained her bearings and elegantly landed back on her legs.

Her usual friendly, calm demeanor replaced with a slightly annoyed one, Belfast spoke. "Dear Miss Javelin and Miss Ayanami, this might be a bit painful. Do watch out." She said before bringing her hands up and materializing multiple hand sized torpedoes in between her fingers. She then swung her arms out and threw said torpedoes like throwing knives at the two destroyers.

"Incoming torpedoes!" Javelin yelled before dodging to right and Ayanami to the left. "Let's go Ayanami-chan!" She continued before making a mad dash at the maid.

"_Hai!_" Ayanami said quickly following after her bubbly friend.

"Ara, this might be troublesome." Belfast surmised before forming more torpedoes in preparation for the two incoming destroyers coming in hot.

Meanwhile…

"Self-imposed limiters released!" Laffey said as she vaulted to her right side while firing off a barrage at Sheffield.

"Time to clean." Sheffield responded as she vaulted leftwards and fired continuous shots at Laffey.

Both shipgirls' barrages were just barely missing the other as the gun fight kept on.

"Not bad War-god of Solomon." Sheffield complimented before unleashing another focused barrage at Laffey, who was now on the run as she dashed away from the line of fire that followed after her.

"Good conditions, let's go." Laffey said as she managed to get behind a boulder that shielded her somewhat from the barrage and gave her enough time to build up enough power to jump up high and launch her torpedoes at the maid.

"Watch out Sheffy!" A voice called out before tackling Sheffield out of the way.

"Ugh, that hurt Edinburgh, but still thank you for the assist." Sheffield grunted as she got back up and dusted herself off.

"S-sorry, that girl over there was just so relentless." Edinburgh pointed at another incoming Kansen.

"Sorry Laffey, but she managed to escape me for a second." Z23 said as she made her way to Laffey's side.

"This is a bit tricky, especially with those powerful gear they've gotten from Master." Sheffield said as she got to her feet and aimed her guns at the two destroyers. "Let's go, Edinburgh."

"Ah, um, yes!" Edinburgh stuttered as she fumbled about and prepared herself for a two on two.

"I won't miss this time!" Z23 said before blasting at Edinburgh, who dove out of the way just in time, soaking herself with the seawater and accidentally shooting off her torpedoes at Z23.

Almost caught completely off-guard by the 'surprise attack', Z23 managed to jump out of the way before she chased after a fleeing Edinburgh once more.

Meanwhile, continuing their gun fight, Laffey and Sheffield kept on shooting and dodging barrage after barrage, turning into a competition to see who would mess up or run out of ammo first.

[Back with Ayanami, Javelin, and Belfast]

"Ey!" Javelin said as she kept thrusting her javelin at Belfast, who was starting to get very tired from the 2v1 fight. It was taking almost all of her effort just to not get hit from the relentless coordinated attacks from the two. Belfast had to jump back to avoid another javelin thrust, but unfortunately, she landed awkwardly when her left leg bumped into a small rock formation.

"One more time! Ey!" Javelin said as she capitalized on the opportunity and jumped at Belfast, landing just before her and doing a spin to thrust upwards at the now very fatigued Head Maid. Not able to dodge in time, Belfast had to put up her guard, only to be launched well above the surface of the water.

"Feel the power of the demon!" Ayanami yelled before launching her torpedoes at Belfast, who was seemingly unable to dodge as she was in midflight.

Wide-eyed, Belfast forced herself to spin mid-flight, avoiding direct contact with the torpedoes before falling to one knee on the water's surface.

The two destroyers looked on in awe at the impressive evasive capabilities of the Royal Navy's perfect Head Maid.

"Ha…ha…ha…." Belfast panted as she struggled to catch her breath. "Most impressive Miss Javelin and Miss Ayanami. It's been awhile since I've had this much of a workout, so to return the favor, allow me to go all out as well." Belfast smirked as she grabbed the hems of her skirt and curtsied just right before a sudden burst of smokescreen engulfed her.

"Careful Ayanami! Belfast only uses her smokescreen ability when she's serious!" Javelin warned as she tried to catch her breath.

"She wasn't serious before?" A fatigued Ayanami asked in shock hearing that Belfast was fighting the both of them without using her full strength.

As soon as Ayanami asked that, the smoke screen rapidly expanded outwards and engulfed the two destroyers inside.

"Ayanami! Where are you!?" Javelin yelled as she couldn't even see her own two hands in front of her eyes in the thick smoke.

"Allow me to bring you over to her Miss Javelin."

"Kya!" Javelin yelled as she felt someone grab her hand and her weapon before being flung into an unsuspecting Ayanami, causing the two to fly out of the smokescreen and bouncing along the ocean surface.

"Owieee…Ah! Ayanami-chan are you okay!?" Javelin said as she struggled a bit to get herself and her friend up.

"_Hai_.._des_.." Ayanami panted as she tried getting back up. "We've got to do something about that smokescreen _des._ I won't be able to see her in there, let alone land a hit."

"Ara, perhaps now would be a good time to surrender your ribbons before you two get hurt?" Belfast challenged with a confident tone.

"Oh no, what do we do?" Javelin began to panic but stopped when she and Ayanami heard a familiar voice on their radios calling out to them.

"Ayanami? Javelin? Are you two okay?"

"Shikikan? _Hai_, but we've run into a bit of an issue…" Ayanami started.

"Don't worry, I've got a plan. Charge straight ahead towards the center of that smoke and then…..."

The two destroyers looked at each other as a bubble with a large question mark appeared above their heads, before deciding to follow along with whatever the Shikikan was planning.

A few hundred feet away, the Shikikan was in his command room on his cruiser. He was currently looking over the various fights the starter squad and the Maid Corps found themselves in. He then looked over to Yuubari on his right, holding a button in her hands. "Go ahead Yuubari."

A few seconds later, a small grey, circular device flew past between the two and landed just short of the smokescreen Belfast was shrouded in.

Right before the device expanded outwards revealing what seemed to be a set of rotor blades. Said blades began to spin around the device, quickly getting faster and faster to the point where the smoke screen was completely blown away!

"What!?" Belfast said as she lost her cover due to the strange device that landed in front of her and was now being charged at by the two destroyers once more.

"Ey!" They both yelled as they coordinated their attacks right after each other's, preventing Belfast from getting even a split second to catch her breath as she had to continuously either had to dodge or block attack after attack from the two. Getting pushed back a far distance away from the other two and unable to even notice her surroundings, Belfast unknowingly jumped back into a large rock, causing herself to lose her balance and focus from the sudden impact.

[A few seconds ago with the Shikikan]

Shikikan was currently watching Ayanami and Javelin bombard Belfast with their relentless assault and was seemingly preparing to fire his cruiser's cannon.

'Come on a bit more you two! She's almost there!' He cheered the two on, right until they had Belfast right where he wanted her.

'Perfect!' He yelled in his mind. "Fire!" He shouted out loud right before his cannon roared and launched a large shell at Belfast's direction.

[Back to the present with Ayanami, Javelin, and Belfast]

'I was too careless.' Belfast thought as she brought herself back up, right before she saw the two destroyers rushing her once more. "Ladies, you have my sincerest praise for pushing me this far, but I'm afraid this tea party is over." She said before firing her main guns at the two.

"Now Javelin!" Ayanami yelled as she jumped to her left, while Javelin jumped right. As they did so, Belfast noticed all too late a large shell flying at her from where the two had jumped away from. Her main guns' fire had hit the shell on its sides causing it to explode, but instead of ending it there, the shell burst open to reveal a large net flying directly at her.

A wide-eyed Belfast was unable to react in time as she was trapped on all sides.

"Kya!" Belfast yelled as she was embedded by the net with the large rock behind her.

"Now's your chance you two!" Shikikan yelled into his radio.

"Ey!" The two destroyers yelled as they charge at Belfast for the last time and swiped her red ribbon together.

Silence fell over the area as everyone felt as if time had stopped.

After a few more seconds of pure silence, a voice was heard around the whole exercise area.

"_NYA!? How nyunbelievable! Belfast of the Royal Navy has lost her ribbon nya!" A stunned Akashi loudly announced into her mic._

"WHAT!?" Everyone still holding a red ribbon screamed as they heard the news and were all brought to a standstill.

"We did it Ayanami-chan!" Javelin yelled as she tackled the Sakura destroyer into a back breaking hug, who quickly returned it with pleasure.

"Phew…great work you two." Shikikan said over his radio.

"Your plan worked out perfectly Shikikan…_des_!" Ayanami said with welcomed surprise apparent in her voice.

"Yeah! Our teamwork was amazing!" Javelin cheered.

"Ara, how shameful of me to lose, especially so early in the exercise." Belfast sighed before her smile quickly replaced her dejected look. "Splendid work Miss Javelin, Miss Ayanami, and of course you too, my Master. Now, may I ask that you release me from this net? Putting it lightly, it's rather uncomfortable."

[Moments ago, with Laffey and Sheffield]

_"NYA!? How nyunbelievable! Belfast of the Royal Navy has lost her ribbon nya!"_

"What?" Sheffield said with a shocked look on her face as she turned to where Belfast was.

"You let your guard down. All systems green, go!" Laffey said as she took advantage of Sheffield's shock and finally landed a barrage at Sheffield.

"_Sheffield is also unable to continue." Shiranui announced. _

"How pathetic of me to lose focus in the middle of a fight." Sheffield chastised herself as she lied on the water in defeat.

"It was a good fight. Good job!" Laffey said with a thumbs up as she approached her and offered her a helping hand up.

Sheffield did not respond, but she gratefully took Laffey's hand up and had a ghost of a smile on her face as she rose.

[Moments ago, with Z23 and Edinburgh]

_"NYA!? How nyunbelievable! Belfast of the Royal Navy has lost her ribbon nya!"_

"What!? Bel-ooph!" Edinburgh questioned as she stopped looking where she was dashing off towards before tripping over her own two legs and falling down once more.

"Now's my chance! Hup!" Z23 said as she dove for Edinburgh's ribbon on her arm.

"Edinburgh has now lost her ribbon as well." Shiranui announced.

"Owiee….." Edinburgh said exhausted and dejected.

"It was a good effort on all of us. Be proud of yourself!" Z23 said with a smile as she helped Edinburgh up.

"I-I still can't believe Bel of all people lost her ribbon. W-wait! That means I did something better than Bel for once!" Edinburgh proclaimed as she had sparkles and tears of joy in her eyes.

'It was less than a minute longer though….' Z23 sweatdropped before deciding to keep that fact to herself as Edinburgh was seemingly on cloud nine at the moment.

[Back to the present with Belfast, Javelin, and Ayanami]

"And finished!" Javelin pronounced as she finally got the net completely off Belfast.

"_Daijoubu_?" Ayanami asked.

"Yes, and thank you Miss Javelin, Miss Ayanami. I'm a bit fatigued from our battle, but nothing some time and tea won't fix." She giggled as she dusted herself off.

"Great work everyone! Hurry and come back aboard my ship. I've gotten word from Unicorn and Shouhou that the rest of the Royal Navy and the Eagle Union are headed that way." Shikikan radioed over to the starter squad and Maid Corp members.

"Yes sir!" Everyone said as they rushed back with their new allies in tow.

[With the Royal Navy]

"I can't believe Belfast of all people lost. What on earth is going on over there?" A befuddled KGV asked as she, Wales, and Illustrious made their way over to where Belfast was.

"No wonder the Shikikan looked so confident when he only picked five to join his side. He must've had some sort of plan all figured out." Wales concluded.

"If so, perhaps we might've bit off more than we can chew?" Illustrious asked jokingly.

"Potentially, but on the honor of the Royal Navy, I refuse to give up. What say you Wales?"

"But of course, I'm of like-mind KGV." Wales reassured with a confident smile.

"Heh, then if you will, Illustrious." KGV nodded to the well armored carrier.

"Leave it to me!" She said as she sent her planes out. "Looks like the Shikikan and friends have already left the scene, but I am spotting some members of the Eagle Union heading in the same direction we are. Shall we meet up with them for now?" She suggested after a few minutes of scouting.

"Since we're already down to three, it be for the best to gather some intel and figure out how to counter the Shikikan... Alright, let's go!" KGV decided as she led the remaining three Royal Navy members off.

[With Hornet, Cleveland, and Helena]

"Yikes, if he was able to take down Belfast, we've got a problem on our hands." Cleveland spoke.

"Looks like us and the two Dragon Empery girls are the last ones to spot the Shikikan. I've gotta say, he plays a mean game of hit-and-run." Hornet joked.

"My radar is still buggy, so he might still be nearby." Helena said as she was trying to scan the area around them.

"Hey Enty-nee, any luck?" Hornet radioed her sister's group.

"I'm seeing no sign of Shikikan, but I am seeing three members of the Royal Navy heading our way." Enterprise announced on her radio as she had her planes high in the sky in front of her.

"Damn, where could he have-wa!" Hornet yelled mid-sentence.

"Hornet!? What's wrong?" Enterprise frantically asked.

"Sorry Enty-nee, but it looks like I'm about to have my hands full here with some party crashers." Hornet smirked as she ended her radio call and looked on at her ambushers.

"So, I'd take it you all aren't here to just say hello?" Hornet smirked as Cleveland and Helena skated to her sides.

"Yeah! I mean no! Wait, maybe?"

"You were right the second time Yamashiro." Fusou sweat-dropped.

"Members of the Eagle Union, won't you join us and _Herr Kommandant_?" Z46 asked as she drew her sword.

"Sorry, but us Eagle Union girls aren't ones to ever give up!" Cleveland grinned as she got ready for a fight and trained her riggings at the Kansen in front of her.

"Looks like we'll have to do this the hard way then." Graf Spee said as she lunged at the group and fired.

"Woah!" Cleveland said as she, Helena, and Hornet dispersed.

"And so, the curtain rises. Nevertheless, I applaud you for not running away." Z46 taunted as she released an onslaught of a barrage at Hornet.

"Hup!" Hornet grunted as she dashed left and right, doing whatever she could to avoid getting hit by Z46's shells. 'Even though they're blanks, her shells look like they still pack one helluva punch.' Hornet said as she looked at the large eruptions behind her caused by said shells.

"Looking away from your opponent is a sign of either arrogance or foolishness."

Caught off guard, Hornet quickly turned back to see Z46 right in front of her with her sword quickly following suit. Desperate to block, she had to use her rigging as a shield. While succeeding in blocking the swing, Z46 had packed enough force into it to send Hornet flying backwards along the water.

"Much like a small rock skillfully slung across the water's surface, you were sent quite a ways back. Perhaps now you will reconsider your decision?" Z46 taunted with an expression that was seemingly blank, but somehow exuded a smug aura.

"Why you…." Hornet started with a tick mark on her head and an annoyed smile. "Try this on for size! Go Doolittle airstrike!" She exclaimed as she launched a squadron of B-25 bombers at the diminutive Iron Blood Kansen.

"I'm speechless." Z46 said wide-eyed and surprised.

"Heh, because you're about to eat your words?" Hornet said with brimming confidence.

"_Nein_, but because of how _Herr Kommandant's_ plan for you worked out ever so flawlessly." Z46 clarified as she used her AA guns and quickly shot down every single one of Hornet's bombers.

"What!?" Hornet said stupefied.

"Now, I believe it is time for you to 'try this on for size'." Z46 said as she had used her 'Iron Wing Annihilation' ability and blasted Hornet with her enhanced firepower.

"Ahh!" Hornet said as she took the brunt of the assault and was clearly feeling it after being pushed far back, but she was still standing strong.

"It'll take more than that to beat me you know!" Hornet smirked after she caught her breath.

"The carriers of the Eagle Union are nothing to scoff at. You have my sincerest praises and full attention." Z46 said as she prepared for round 2 with the carrier.

[With Graf Spee and Cleveland]

"Woah!" Cleveland yelled as she was on the defensive, constantly being pushed backwards as Graf Spee swung her giant mechanized arms at her while also firing in between swings.

'This is bad, it's taking everything I have just to dodge those massive arms!' Cleveland screamed internally. "Y-you're quite tough!"

"And you're quite quick on your feet, but it looks like you're about to hit your limit." Spee replied as she saw Cleveland panting heavily.

"If my sisters saw me like this, I'll never live it down!" A determined Cleveland said as she shook her head and fired away at Spee, who quickly put her arms up granting herself a makeshift wall of a shield.

'Okay Cleve think! She's got the advantage in power and defense, but you've got speed. Think! Think!' Cleveland tried to brainstorm.

"I believe here's far enough." Spee said as she glanced back.

Confused, Cleveland leaned over to her right to see what she was looking at before going wide-eyed. "Helena!"

[With Helena, Fusou, and Yamashiro]

"Kya!" Helena yelled as the force of impact from Fusou's and Yamashiro's blasts sent her tumbling along the water.

"Are you okay!?" Yamashiro asked worried for the bluenette.

"You should really consider surrendering, I'd hate to see you get hurt anymore than this." Fusou tried to convince her.

"I-I'm fine!" Helena said as she struggled to get back up. "SG lock on the enemy position!" She continued before launching an all-out assault of a barrage at the two battleships.

"Wa!" Yamashiro yelled as she only had the choice to put her guard up.

"Stand strong Yamashiro! Only a little more until Milord's plan bears fruit!" Fusou said as she struggled to keep her guard up.

'Plan? Wait!' Helena thought as she looked back. Hornet was a far distance away dealing with Z46 while Cleveland was even farther away as she was desperately trying to evade Spee's pursuit. "Cleveland! Hornet! The Shikikan is trying to-KYA!"

"Helena!" Cleveland and Hornet yelled as they heard Helena's yell.

[A few minutes ago with the Shikikan]

"Is the CFG locked and loaded Yuubari?"

"_Hai_, it is ready and at your disposal _Goshujin_."

"Alright, time for me to put in some work too." He said as he trained his cruiser's cannon at his intended target. "And…fire!" He continued as the cannon roared to life once more.

'Alright that…wait no! I aimed too high!' Shikikan panicked seeing how the CFG, or C-foam grenade, round was no longer going to land at just Helena's feet, but right into her torso!

{Back to present time with Helena]

'KYA!" Helena yelled as she was hit directly with not just any shell, but with some sort of white foam that acted like an extremely stronger form of gorilla glue. "Wha-What is this stuff!?"

"Aw crap…."

"Milord?" Fusou and Yamashiro questioned over their radio.

"I'm going to have to beg for her forgiveness, but for now go ahead and proceed with the plan please." The Shikikan sighed.

"Right away Milord!" The two said before skating over to Helena and grabbing her ribbon.

_"Helena has lost her ribbon and nya?" Akashi started announcing before getting a radio transmission. "Okay nya, so we will be taking a fifteen-minute break to deal with an issue as requested by Shikikan. Don't move too far away from where you currently are and no fighting until the break is over nya!"_

Cruising at max speed, the Shikikan jumped off aboard his cruiser and onto a speedboat, bee-lining over to a still trapped Helena, surrounded by Cleveland, Hornet, Fusou, Yamashiro, Spee, and Z46, confused and trying to get Helena out.

"I-I am SO, SO sorry Helena!" The Shikikan bowed his head in apology to her.

"What is this stuff Shikikan!? It's stuck on my clothes and in my hair!" Helena pouted adorably.

"It's a foaming agent that suppose to immobilize targets by preventing them from moving. I had it aimed for your feet and rigging and had Fusou carry the solvent to melt it away for afterwards, but I ended up aiming a bit too high. I brought all of the solvent I had aboard, so please bear with me. Again, I'm really sorry Helena." The Shikikan bowed his head once more before moving over to Helena and pouring the solvent over where the foam covered her. After a few minutes of dousing her, Hornet keeled over laughing in the background after being told of the situation, and Cleveland just rubbing the back of her head awkwardly, Helena managed to break free.

"Sigh, well no one was hurt, and I can tell that you really are feeling sorry, so I'll forgive you for this Shikikan, but please escort me back to your cruiser and let me use the shower." Helena sighed and smiled a bit at the still guilt-ridden Shikikan.

"Yes ma'am." He replied before picking up the bluenette into a princess carry.

"!...Um, Shikikan...you don't have…" Helena mumbled.

"S-sorry! I just thought that it be hard for you to move with all of the leftover foam and solvent on you." He said before gently placing her on his speedboat.

"I-it's okay, I didn't really mind, I was just taken by surprise…." Helena said with a growing blush.

Now both red-faced and embarrassed, the two had a silent ride back to his cruiser, with a few minutes to spare before the end of the sudden break.

"Wow, how smooth, looks like you've got some competition Cleve." Hornet joked with a hand over her mouth as she grinned at the cruiser in question.

"I-it's not like that! We're just friends and…...I'm kinda jealous of Helena too, you know?" Cleveland mumbled the last part.

"What should we do Nee-sama? We were all just fighting and 'that' just happened and now we all are standing right next to each other." Yamashiro asked.

"I...I'm not sure, this is a rather strange predicament." Fusou shook her head.

"I have a suggestion." Z46 started. "Due to the unforeseen circumstances, shall we call a ceasefire between us and head our separate ways for now?"

"Hmm, I don't like how this is ending, but a ceasefire makes sense, since the mood was kinda ruined ahaha.…" Hornet laughed awkwardly.

"Then it's agreed. Until we meet again on the battlefield." Z46 nodded her head before she, Spee, Fusou, and Yamashiro followed after the Shikikan.

"Well, this is awkward." Hornet said as she turned to Cleveland.

"I overheard Helena say something about the Shikikan's plan before she got hit with that grenade thing." Cleveland said lost in thought.

"Same, that little Iron Blood girl said something about how the Shikikan's plan for me worked out perfectly…Let's head over to Enty-nee and see what she thinks." Hornet suggested.

"Yeah…it sucks losing Helena but grouping back up with everyone is probably the best idea right now." Cleveland said before the two headed out.

[Back to Shikikan]

With Helena now aboard his cruiser and headed for the showers, the Shikikan radioed to Akashi saying that he was good to go.

_"Okay nya! Shikikan has just told me that we are back in action! The exercise continues starting…now nya!" Akashi announced._

'Alright now that that's over with…', he said to himself as he took a second to gather his thoughts. "Alright Fusou, Yamashiro, Z46, and Spee, first of all, great work! The plan was a success despite my mistake ahaha…" He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly before continuing. "The others should be in position, but just to make sure…" He stopped as he radioed over to the other group.

"Yes sir!"

"Belfast, is your group good to go?"

"Yes Master, everyone is in position and ready to begin. As you previously thought, the Royal Navy and the Eagle Union look to be heading to meet up with each other."

"It's earlier than I expected but go ahead and run the interference plan now Belfast. Graf Spee and Z46 are headed your way now." He replied as he nodded to the two girls who quickly jumped off the cruiser and headed towards the next battle.

"As you wish Master." Belfast confirmed before ending the transmission.

"How about your group, Z23?" Shikikan continued.

"_Ja,_ the Sakura Empire has yet to spot us thanks to these cloaks. Shall we commence the plan now?"

"Hmm…" He pondered before deciding. "Not just yet, wait until Fusou and Yamashiro are nearby to provide cover fire. The remaining members of the Sakura Empire are all quite strong and I'd prefer to play it safe while we still can."

"Understood _Herr Kommandant_! We shall continue tailing them for now then." Z23 replied as she ended the transmission.

"Alright and last but not least." He started before turning around. "Shouhou, Unicorn, any luck on finding the Hai sisters?"

"_Hai_! But it seems they've lost their ways and are currently in the far east end of the exercise area." Shouhou laughed awkwardly as she had her planes following the two very lost Dragon Empery girls.

"Ahaha…." He sweatdropped. "I feel a bit bad but leave them be for now. Shouhou head to Z23's position and Unicorn to Belfast's please."

"Yes sir!" They said before jumping off as well and sailing off.

"Looks like we're in the endgame now huh Yuubari? How are your inventions holding up though?" He said as he walked over to Yuubari by the stern of the cruiser checking on her inventions.

"Ohh! _Goshujin_! My inventions are working perfectly and ready to go! There's still plenty of flashbang, netting, and C-foam ammo, the fog repeller and 'sea mines' are working smoothly, and as Z23 said, all of the camouflage cloaks are working as intended."

"I couldn't have gotten this far without you, Yuubari. Thank you." He said as he gently rubbed the cruiser's head.

[Affinity Up!]

'Ahhh _Goshujin,_ your hand is so warm.' Yuubari purred in her mind before realizing that she was about to drool. "W-we've yet won _Goshujin_! Let's hurry and bring an end to this! I'm really looking forward to improving that research lab once we win!" Yuubari said as she had sparkles and determined flames in her eyes.

[With Belfast and her group]

"As you wish Master." Belfast said before ending the radio call. "Ladies, it's time for the tea party to begin." She called out to Sheffield and Edinburgh. "Miss Graf Spee, Miss Z46, and Miss Unicorn will be joining us shortly, but we've received the signal to begin now." She announced before leading the charge.

"You do remember what the mission is right, Edinburgh?"

"O-of course I do Sheffy! It's umm…uh.. that!…Right?"

"By that you mean we are to capture two ribbons in particular and then fallback, then yes." Sheffield sighed before sailing after Belfast.

"W-wait up!" Edinburgh stumbled as she tried to keep up with the two reliable maids.

[With the Eagle Union}

"Oi! Enty-nee!"

"Hornet! Cleveland! What happened!?" Enterprise exclaimed as she saw the two a bit battered and bruised.

"The Shikikan happened ahaha…." Cleveland chuckled. "He had an ambush set up for us and we fell right into it."

"Plus, it's safe to say that capturing Helena was his main goal during it. What do you think Enty-nee?" Hornet added.

"Hmm, looks like Shikikan has done some research on all of us and has planned accordingly. If so, that would explain why he only picked five at the start." Enterprise said with a knowing smile.

"Yikes, if so, then we might be in trouble, unless…." Saratoga said before a mischievous grin plastered her face.

"Unless…?" Cleveland took the bait and asked.

Now a full-blown grin, Saratoga continued. "Unless we pull a prank on the Shikikan of course!"

"Yay sounds fun! Let's throw a pie at him!" San Diego said with stars in her eyes.

"That does sound like fun, but I was thinking more of trying to pull one over the Shikikan and catch him off guard. Like Enterprise said, the Shikikan has only been doing hit-and-runs, so he's bound to show up again for another hit! Sister Sara suggests we split up, while pretending to search for him, while sneakily getting near the other factions. Once his team shows his face, we give him a taste of his own medicine by ambushing them!" Saratoga said.

"Oh! Nice idea Sara! Your experience on the battlefield is no joke!" Cleveland said loving the idea of finally turning the tide.

"Hmm! I'll go ahead and let the Royal Navy know and set up a bait!" She said before sending a transmission over to Wales before speaking up.

"Hey Wales! Sister Sara here! We have a plan to turn this exercise into our favor and wanted to know if….."

"Hm? What's wrong Sara?" Hornet asked as Saratoga had a stopped speaking and had a surprised look on her face. She quickly brought the volume of the speaker up so that everyone could hear.

"Sorry Saratoga, but Shikikan is already a step ahead."

"Helena!?" Everyone yelled in surprise.

"The Shikikan figured Saratoga might get the idea to try and pull a prank on him, so he already came up with a countermeasure. He also wanted me to let everyone know he wishes you all 'Good Luck' beforehand.

"What? Sister Sara was found out? Wait what do you mean b-AHHH!?" A surprised Saratoga shrieked as a shell came flying near her.

"Heh, you weren't kidding about him being a step ahead Helena." Cleveland said with a nervous grin.

"One step might be an understatement here Cleve." Hornet said with a similar nervous grin.

"And so, we meet again. Hopefully this time we won't have any unforeseen circumstances interrupting us." Z46 said as she once again unsheathed her sword.

"I'll be going all out this time, so please prepare yourself." Graf Spee said as she stretched her mechanized arms out.

"Good day to you all, ladies of the Eagle Union. Would you care to join us for some tea on Master's side?" Belfast smiled and bowed gracefully. Behind her was an Edinburgh ready to fire her main guns and Sheffield spinning both her guns in her hands before aiming them at the Eagles.

"Belfast…" Enterprise said before drawing her bow, knowing all too well of Belfast's prowess on the battlefield.

"Wow! What a big audience for our performances! Right Sara?" San Diego asked as carefree as ever.

"A bit too big if you ask me ahaha…." Saratoga said as she understood the situation all too well.

"More….over there…." Eldridge spoke up and pointed straight out, where she spotted Unicorn launching a squadron of fighters at them.

"Unicorn, will do her best!" She announced as loudly as she could.

"Nya! It looks like things are heating up between the Eagle Union and Shikikan's combined fleet!" Akashi announced with sheer excitement.

"Take care not to get too hurt everyone!" Vestal added.

"Hmph! Well now that my prank is exposed, nothing left but to push through with force!" Saratoga resigned herself before launching a huge squadron of dive bombers at the combined fleet before her.

"Huh!? Wait Sara! That Iron Blood girl over there can…!" Hornet tried to warn her, but it was too late.

"The unworthy are fated to drown in this world." Z46 said before activating her 'Iron Wing Annihilation' ability once more and shooting down all of Saratoga's dive bombers with her superior AA guns.

"Wa-ha-What!?" Saratoga said in utter shock.

"I have not tasted defeat, nor suffered pain, therefore I have no accomplishments. However, that changes now, for I fight not just for the Iron Blood, but for _Herr Kommandant's_ sake as well!" She announced before releasing an enhanced barrage at the Eagle girls.

"Scatter Eagles!" Enterprise commanded as she and everyone else jumped in different directions as to avoid the assault.

"Time to clean, but this time without fail!" Sheffield said as she lunged forth and started firing both guns at her closest target, San Diego.

"Waa!" San Diego yelled as she had just barely landed before having to duck and then dash out of Sheffield's line of endless fire.

"I won't be losing this time! Especially with Enty-nee with me!" Hornet smirked as she and Enterprise readied themselves.

"The Grey Ghost, a formidable opponent whom of which might prove to be quite troublesome." Z46 hypothesized with the same calm expression on her face.

"Allow me to be of assistance." Belfast said as she moved by Z46's side and threw a mini torpedo from her hand at Enterprise. She quickly responded with a light arrow, causing an explosion and smoke to cover the area.

Taking advantage of this, Belfast had dashed forward and through the smoke where she was greeted with Enterprise launching another light arrow at her. With ease, Belfast swiped the arrow away with one arm and dashed right up to Enterprise. Quickly grabbing her bow and hand, Belfast quickly spun around and around before launching Enterprise a fair distance away from the rest of the Eagles.

"I'll hold Miss Enterprise off, please proceed without me everyone. Dear sister, I leave supporting Miss Z46 in your capable hands." Belfast bowed before following after Enterprise.

"Leave it to me Bel!" Edinburgh said before firing her torpedoes (on purpose this time) at Hornet.

"Two on one huh? The Shikikan sure does know how to pile it on." Hornet chuckled as jumped out of the way before launching her fighters at the bespectacled maid.

"Eek!" Edinburgh yelled before ducking for cover.

"Do not fret, I will provide assistance. Go out and prove your might!" Z46 said as she focused her fire at the fighters.

"T-thank you! And r-right!" Edinburgh said before she took a deep breath. "Time to prove myself as the older sister!" Now determined, Edinburgh fired continuously as she charged Hornet.

"Tsk…This might be rough." Hornet grumbled with an unsure smirk before adjusting her hat and bracing herself.

[With Cleveland and Graf Spee]

"Didn't expect our rematch to be so soon..." Cleveland said as she fired all her guns at Graf Spee.

"Likewise." Was the only reply Spee had as she quickly put up her arms to block the relentless fire.

'Okay so it's not like I don't do any damage to her….' Cleveland confirmed in her mind. "There's only going forward from here!" She said as she dashed around a guarded Spee all while firing.

"You might have the speed advantage on me, but that alone won't be enough to defeat me!" Spee said as she swung her arms down and launched a devastating barrage at the light cruiser.

"Argh!" Cleveland said as she had dodged all but one shell and was sent flying a ways back, bouncing along the water's surface.

"Cleveland!" Saratoga said as she had launched some fighters at Spee, causing her to put her guard back up as she tried shooting them down. "You alright? That looked pretty un-fun." Saratoga asked as she helped Cleveland up.

"Yeah, but I got to say, her firepower's no joke." Cleveland winced a bit.

"If I remember correctly, she's known as a 'pocket battleship' in the Iron Blood, but don't worry! From here on out I've got your back!" Saratoga said as she launched more fighters at Spee who was still struggling to take down the previous fighters still. However, the new set of fighters were intercepted by another squadron before making their way to Spee.

"Unicorn will help!" She said as her dive bomber dropped a special package onto Spee, healing her a bit.

"Thank you." Spee nodded her head from the surprise help.

"Alright! Looks like things are heating up! Let's go Cleve-bro!" Saratoga said before launching almost all of her remaining planes out.

"Don't call me Clevebro!" She protested before dashing and firing at Spee once more.

"L-let's do our best for Onii-chan!" Unicorn mustered up all of her courage to say to her unlikely ally.

"Agreed." Spee nodded before charging forth at the fast approaching Cleveland.

[With Sheffield and San Diego]

"Tsk, what a pest." An annoyed Sheffield said as she has yet to land a direct hit at the ditzy fleeing cruiser.

"Wha! Ah! Eek!" San Diego said as she was comically dodging, dipping, ducking, and diving out of Sheffield's line of fire.

"Hey Sheffy?" A voice asked via radio.

"Hmm? Oh Master, my sincerest apologies. I didn't expect her to be so proficient at running a-…dodging, yes dodging."

The Shikikan chuckled awkwardly at the maid's ever so sharp tongue. "Would you be against me providing some assistance?"

"Not at all, in fact please do, dragging this out might be an issue, especially for Belfast in particular."

"Yeah good point. Go ahead and shift a bit to your left then." Shikikan requested.

She tilted her head a bit, confused from the strange request, before shifting to the left as she continued chasing after the still frantically fleeing San Diego.

"Perfect…and Fire!" He said before the sound of a cannon firing was heard in the nearby distance. A few seconds later, a large shell came flying right past where Sheffield had shifted from and was flying directly at San Diego. The shell exploded before colliding with San Diego, revealing a large net that managed to trap the unaware light cruiser, sending her to the ground after a few tumbles from the impact.

"Awawawawawa….." San Diego mumbled as she had spirals in her eyes.

"…...A most impressive shot Master." Sheffield muttered to herself wide-eyed from the snipe shot as she looked back and saw the Shikikan's cruiser tens of thousands of meters away. She skated up to the trapped San Diego and retrieved her ribbon.

"A….valiant effort I suppose." Sheffield said to a woozy San Diego as she helped her up and out of the net. "Head over that way and you'll spot Master's cruiser awaiting you." Sheffield pointed out before dashing back to support her allies.

"Kay….." San Diego responded as she stumbled over to the Shikikan's cruiser.

_"With an impressive supporting shot from the Shikikan, San Diego was taken down by Sheffield and has lost her ribbon." Shiranui announced. "Hmm? It looks like some more are about to join her."_

[With Belfast and Enterprise]

"I wasn't expecting to have to fight you of all people Belfast." Enterprise said in between her shots.

"Neither was I, but Master is a far more brilliant strategist then he lets on." Belfast replied as she dodged arrow after arrow. Once close enough, she fired her main guns at Enterprise, who just barely managed to dodge the shells by twisting her body a bit.

"Your guard is down Miss Enterprise." Belfast said as she was now point blank with Enterprise.

"As is yours." Enterprise calmly replied as she looked back at a confused Belfast.

At that moment, Belfast could hear the sound of a plane diving swiftly approaching. Knowing what was incoming, Belfast quickly jumped out of the way, but not before forming two sets of three mini torpedoes in her hands and throwing one set at the incoming plane, and the other at Enterprise.

"You're as reckless as ever." Belfast sighed.

"With you as my opponent, I can't afford to play safe." Enterprise smiled as she easily shot down all three torpedo projectiles with her bow.

"With an impressive supporting shot from the Shikikan, San Diego was taken down by Sheffield and has lost her ribbon." Shiranui announced. "Hmm? It looks like some more are about to join her."

"Wha!?" Enterprise said once she realized how far away she was from her fellow Eagles.

"It looks like you've finally caught on." Belfast smiled.

"Was this your plan all along?" Enterprise said still surprised at how she failed to notice her surroundings earlier.

"As I've said before, Master is quite the strategist hehe." Belfast giggled a bit before giving Enterprise an elegant curtsy. "Looks like my job here is done with the ambush plan succeeding. A good day to you Miss Enterprise, although I get the feeling that we shall be meeting again quite soon." She continued before covering the entire area with a thick smokescreen.

"Wait! This isn't over!" Enterprise yelled after she stopped coughing from the surprise smokescreen before moving straight forward through the smoke, only to be greeted by nothing but open sea and a long-gone Belfast.

'Looks like I lose this one, but this exercise is far from over Shikikan.' Enterprise had resigned herself with a small smile that radiated determination as she dashed back to her fellow Eagles at top speed.

[With Cleveland, Spee, Unicorn, and Saratoga]

_"With an impressive supporting shot from the Shikikan, San Diego was taken down by Sheffield and has lost her ribbon." Shiranui announced._

"Sandy!?" Cleveland looked to where San Diego had run off to.

"Hmm? It looks like some more are about to join her." Shiranui added.

"Cleveland to your left!" Saratoga shouted.

"Whoa!" She said as she just barely dodged an incoming fighter's guns. Seeing more incoming, she switched to offense and fired her AA guns and swiftly brought them all down, just right in time to dodge an incoming mechanized hand coming down on her.

"Ha..ah…man I can barely get a breath in!"

"Where are you looking? I'm over here!" Saratoga said as she launched some cover fire at Spee, who had no choice but to put her arms up to form a wall.

"Miss Spee!" Unicorn shouted before her dive bombers came and dropped some cargo, healing Spee. "Miss Spee, we should hurry!"

"Agreed, please provide me with you support for just a little bit longer!" She requested before dashing as fast as she could at a fatigued Cleveland.

"Oh no you don't!" Saratoga tried to have her planes intervene, but they were struggling against Unicorn's persistent fighters.

"Now's your chance Miss Spee!" Unicorn said as she did her best to help in any way she could.

"Great work Unicorn!" Spee complimented. "For all that I treasure!" She continued as she fired a full barrage at the light cruiser.

"Ahh!" Cleveland grunted as she failed to completely dodge the attack and fell to her knees.

"Cleveland! I'm on my wa—WAA!" Saratoga said before getting blasted with a flurry of gun fire.

"Pardon my intrusion, but please hurry up. Belfast has informed me that she just withdrew, and that Enterprise is rapidly approaching." Sheffield said with her guns smoking from the shots she just fired at the pink haired carrier.

"I'm on it!" Spee said before swiftly making her way to a downed Cleveland and grabbing her ribbon.

_"Cleveland has also lost her ribbon nya!" Akashi announced._

_"Come see me at the docks Cleveland. You're covered in injuries and debris." Vestal added._

"Damn, how uncool of me." Cleveland said as she was flopped on the ground fatigued, battered, and bruised. Hearing Vestal's orders, she forced herself up and sailed away.

"Owiiee….huh? Oh no Cleve-Ahh!" Saratoga started before once again being bombarded and knocked off her feet by Sheffield.

"Good work, let's hurry back to Master everyone." Sheffield nodded before dashing off.

"Thank you again for your help Unicorn." Spee looked back and nodded to the shy little girl.

"Ehehe, I'm glad I was able to help!" She smiled brilliantly as the two quickly left the scene.

"Ugh…How rude! Interrupting me twice by shooting at me! Hmmph!" Saratoga complained as she dusted herself off.

[With Hornet, Z46, and Edinburgh]

_"Cleveland has also lost her ribbon nya!" Akashi announced._

"What Cleve too!?" Hornet said as she was currently fighting strong against her opponents.

"They did it! Let's head back to Shikikan!" Edinburgh requested with urgency before heading out first.

"Hmm, it looks like our fight will be put on hold once more. Until we meet again." Z46 nodded before sailing off after Edinburgh.

"Oh no you…." Hornet was about to say before she dropped to one knee, her adrenaline wearing off, and fatigue setting in. "Ah….ha…damn, I'm exhausted!"

"Hornet!"

"Hmm? Oh Enty-nee…ha…sorry, we lost Sandy and Cleve and they got away too." Hornet said a bit downhearted as well.

"Don't worry, I'm at fault for not realizing how far out Belfast had sent me. Let's hurry and regroup with Saratoga and Eldridge." Enterprise said as she helped her sister up.

"Too late I'm already here!" Saratoga said as she cruised right up to the two sisters. "Glad to see you two are okay! Wait where's Eldridge?" She asked looking around.

"Huh? She wasn't near you?" Hornet asked, only receiving a clueless nod from the diminutive carrier.

[Meanwhile…]

"Great work everyone! We can finally begin..." The Shikikan was about to say before….

"Found Shikikan" A voice said.

Startled by the surprise the Shikikan jumped forward to the bow of his ship and turned around to see Eldridge standing right in front of him and emitting small sparks.

"H-hey there Eldridge, when'd you get here?" He questioned realizing that it was just him and the destroyer at the moment.

"Shikikan…ribbon..." Eldridge said as she took a small step forward, still emitting sparks and her intentions clear.

'Crap, Helena just left for Z23's group and Yuubari is deep inside the cruiser maintaining her inventions. She wouldn't make it in time if I called out to her.' The Shikikan was brainstorming how to get out of this sudden sticky situation. 'There's absolutely no way I can win against a destroyer bare-handed…' He thought before a sudden idea popped into his head 'well…at least not with force I can't….'

"Hey Eldridge?" The Shikikan called out to the slowly approaching destroyer, who was very focused on the ribbon on his arm.

"Hmm?" She hummed as she was only a few feet away now.

'It's not like I have any other way out of this.' He steeled his resolved before speaking up once more. "C-can I have a hug?" He asked with an awkward smile as he extended his arms out to her.

Eldridge was brought to a halt hearing his request. The ahoge on her head curled immediately into a heart as she dropped her guard and jumped into his arms.

"Hug!" She said with a happy smile as she snuggled into his embrace.

'T-that worked? Well now I just feel bad…' A surprised Shikikan thought.

_"Nya!? The Shikikan himself has managed to get Eldridge's ribbon!" Akashi announced in sheer surprise._

_"A rather cheap shot, but nothing against the rules of course ufufu." Shiranui added._

Hearing the announcement, Eldridge's ahoge stood straight up like an exclamation point as she looked at where the ribbon should have been on her arm.

"Sorry Eldridge, but if it means anything I kind of did just want to hug you once I saw you ahaha..." Shikikan chuckled awkwardly as he scratched his cheek with her ribbon in his hand still.

"Shikikan…no fair..." She pouted very cutely.

"S-sorry Eldridge, can I make it up to you with some cake later?" He pleaded using a promise of sweets as a trump card.

Eyes sparkling and her ahoge forming back into a heart, Eldridge replied, "Okay…, Eldridge forgives Shikikan", right before snuggling back into the hug.

"_Goshujin_!? I heard Akashi's announcement and rushed out…oh" Yuubari said as she barged out of the cruiser's door in a hurry before spotting the Shikikan.

"Don't worry Yuubari, looks like this part of the plan was a bigger success than we expected." He said with a light chuckle as he walked over to her with Eldridge glued to his arms.

"Is everything alright Master?"

They spun around to see Belfast, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Spee, Z46, and San Diego all jumping aboard the bow of his ship.

"In short, Eldridge appeared out of nowhere and almost got my ribbon, but I somehow managed." He smiled awkwardly.

"Shikikan…tricked Eldridge with hugs but promised cake as an apology." Eldridge said as she jumped off to land right in front of them and explained.

"Hugs?" Spee asked as she tilted her head.

"Hug" Eldridge replied as she hugged a more-than-happy-to-comply San Diego.

"Wait cake!? Shikikan can I have some too!?" San Diego begged with stars in her eyes and some drool forming on her lips.

"Allow me to offer my assistance in baking said cake Master." Belfast chimed in as she walked up to him and smiled happily.

"Thank you, Belfast." He happily accepted. "But for now, let's get a move on and prepare for the endgame of this exercise everyone!"

"Yeah! (everyone)/Yes, Master (Sheffield and Belfast)."

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**Phew! Longest chapter yet! The original plan was to make this whole exercise just one chapter, but I was barraged with idea after idea that ended up forcing me to want to break this chapter up and put those ideas to good use. **

**Thank you again so much for your continued support for this fanfic! Can't believe we've hit over 100 follows! Let's see if we can get the follows, favs, and comments up even higher! **

**The next chapter is about 25% done already so do look forward to it in the upcoming weeks or so! **

**Also one last side note! Without me going off on a tangent about how much I dislike the media, please do take care of yourselves during these unnecessarily tough times and be careful of untrustworthy news reports and misinformation! CDC and WHO are the best places for the most accurate information if you are feeling lost!**

**Okay now that that's off my chest, let me know if you are enjoying the story in the comments and by following and favoriting this fanfic! Please stay tuned for next time on Azur Lane fanfic, An Unsung Legend Chapter 10: A Shining Ray of Hope! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: A Shining Ray of Hope!**

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**Hey y'all I'm back! Just a quick thank you for getting this fanfic over 100 favs and follows! You all are awesome! :D Well, I've kept y'all waiting long enough so let's jump right in!**

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"**An individual's physical abilities, height, and power…If those were the only things to prove one's strength, this match would be much simpler. But it's because that's not the case, that this is so deep and so interesting." Keishin Ukai, Haikyuu!**

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[With the starter squad]

"I've received word from Fusou that her group has arrived at their target's area _des_." Ayanami informed to her fellow camouflaged friends.

"_Herr Kommandant_, everyone is ready on our end and the Sakura Empire's group still seems unaware of us." Z23 radioed.

"Alright, go ahead and commence the plan when you have a clear shot."

"Yeah!" They all whispered loudly as they waited for the Sakura Empire girls to skate a bit further up.

[With Shoukaku, Zuikaku, Takao, Atago, Ise, and Hyuuga]

"We haven't seen him or any of his forces for a while now..." Shoukaku commented as she surveyed her surroundings intently.

"Yeah, I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this…" Zuikaku added as she tightened her grip on her katana as they all continued advancing and scouring the chain of tiny islands they were passing by, along with the well-hidden starter squad girls as well.

[Back to the starter squad]

After the Sakura Empire girls were out of hearing range, "These cloaks are so much fun!" Javelin squealed as she had her hands in a tiger hand sign.

"They don't seem to have noticed us…" Z23 examined. "Alright! Commence the plan!" She yelled as she jumped out of her cloak and trained her main guns at the Sakura girls, with the remainder of the starter squad quickly following in her footsteps.

"Fire!" She ordered as they all shot their volleys in unison at the seemingly unaware targets. The rain of volleys looked like they were going to land perfectly, but just before they did….

"They fell for it! Time for me to make some noise hahahaha!" Ise yelled as she quickly turned around and swiftly sliced through the volley coming at her with ease. The other Sakura girls followed suit and swiftly swatted down the incoming projectiles.

"What?" Z23 yelled in surprise.

"Ara, the same sneak attacks won't work twice against Onee-san you know?" Atago sung.

"Your bloodlust was quite palpable." Takao added.

"The hunters have become the hunted, so to speak hehe." Zuikaku laughed as she got ready for a brawl with the destroyers.

"I wouldn't say they were the 'hunters' Zuikaku, but your intent's there." Shoukaku chuckled before she began playing her flute, summoning her planes for the fight to come.

"Oh no! They turned the tables!" Javelin wailed as she readied her javelin.

"Verdammt!" Z23 cried out.

"Laffey releasing self-imposed limiters." The not-so-sleepy-anymore bunny girl announced as she readied her rigging.

"We'll have to take them on headfirst then _des_. Your orders Commander Nimi." Ayanami said as she readied her katana.

"…..The plan goes on! Watch out for the planes and head straight for the target!" Z23 commanded right before they all scattered out of Shoukaku's dive bombers' path. Working with well-coordinated teamwork, the girls zig-zagged around the additional fighters' guns as they rushed towards their awaiting opponents.

"Finally, some action!" Ise howled as she fired her cannons at the starter squad.

"Let me in on this too Nee-san!" Hyuuga said as she fired off as well.

Anticipating the barrages, the starter squad all managed to evade them right before launching their own attack at the battleships.

"Hahaha! Not bad! Not bad at all!" Ise laughed as she swiped down the enemy fire.

"I'll be going first Nee-san!" Hyuuga said before dashing towards the starter squad for some close combat action.

"Oh no you don't!" Ise smirked before following after her little sister.

"As energetic as ever ufufu." Atago giggled before noticing something in the corner of her eye. "Wait, to the right you two!" She yelled.

"Whoa!" Ise and Hyuuga yelled as they both just managed to dodge the incoming surprise rain of fire.

"Oh no we missed!"

"There was nothing we could do Yamashiro. Atago's eyesight is second to none after all." Fusou said as she readied herself now that their covers were blown.

"Oh! Fusou-san! Yamashiro! It feels strange fighting against you two, but this is an exercise after all!" Ise said as she turned her attention to the two battleships in front of her. "Ready for a little 2v2 Hyuuga?" She asked her sister ship, but no reply was heard.

"Hyuuga?" Ise asked turning around.

"S-sorry Nee-san! I'm a bit pre-occupied here!" Hyuuga grunted as she was locked in combat already.

"Javelin engaging!" The bubbly destroyer yelled as she was the first to reach the two Sakura battleships and had lunged at her closest target, Hyuuga, thrusting her weapon nonstop.

"Why you…!" Hyuuga said as she forced into a defensive fight. The destroyer might not be as strong as her, but Javelin's speed was nothing to scoff at.

"Here's your chance Ayanami!" Javelin yelled as she jumped up to do a spin, and swiped at a guarded Hyuuga, sending her sliding backwards before following up with another fast, flashy assault.

"Ey!" Ayanami yelled, jumping at Hyuuga attempting to strike with her blade, but ultimately failed to land as a katana stopped her in her tracks.

"I'll be your opponent Ayanami! It's been awhile since I've crossed swords with you after all!" Takao said as she got into a fighting stance before launching herself at the awaiting destroyer.

"Tsk… looks like its just me against you two, Fusou-san! Yamashiro!" Ise smirked as she spun her naginata in her hand and began to charge at the two other battleships.

"It might be 2 against 1, Yamashiro, but Ise's quite formidable, especially in close range combat. Let's keep her at bay until the plan bears fruit!"

"Hai Fusou nee-sama!"

Meanwhile…

"All systems green!" Laffey said as she fired continuously at Atago.

"Ara, did you want to play with Onee-san that badly?" She giggled as she easily evaded and cut down the incoming fire.

"Duck Laffey!" A voice called out to the bunny girl as she quickly complied.

Wide-eyed from a sudden additional attack, Atago had to put her guard up as she couldn't completely cut down all of the new projectiles coming at her.

"Let's work together Laffey!" Z23 said as she skated right up next to her.

"Kayy" Laffey said before hearing a rather menacing giggle.

"Ufufu….looks like Onee-san's going to have to get a bit…serious" Atago said before firing off her guns at the two destroyers, causing them to scatter left and right. Quickly following up, she launched her torpedoes at Laffey on the left and swiftly dashed towards the right to swing at Z23, who managed to block the incoming sword with her main gun, albeit being pushed a ways back.

"Ugh….she's strong. Be careful Nimi." Laffey called out.

"Ha…yeah.." Z23 panted.

"Now what exactly is this 'plan' I've been hearing you all mention? Won't you tell Onee-san?" Atago smiled as she jutted her katana outwards and had a hand on her hips, exuding an aura of confidence with the strength to back it up.

"Who knows…" Z23 replied with a small smirk of her own.

"Laffey doesn't know….probably…" She said looking away towards the side.

"Ara, looks like Onee-san's going to have to use a more 'aggressively persuasive' method ufufu." She said before dashing forth.

"Keep it up Laffey! Here she comes!" Z23 said as she and Laffey got into their fighting stances.

"Don't forgot about us now!" A voice called out from the side as a flute began to play and two squadrons of fighters flying out, catching the two destroyers off-guard.

"Ahhh!" The two yelled as they were unable completely dodge everything in the bullet rain.

"Quite brave of you girls to try and attack us from the front after your sneak attack fell flat ufufu." Shoukaku giggled as Zuikaku skated right next to Atago with her sword unsheathed and itching to fight.

"Tides turned again….3 versus 2….This isn't looking good Nimi." A slightly nervous Laffey said.

'Ugh…..what should we do?' Z23 tried to brainstorm how to get out of this debacle.

"It's time for me to act lively!" Another voice said before a squadron of dive bombers flew over the two injured destroyers and dropped some special bombs around them, healing them.

"Laffey…rejuvenated!" Laffey said with wondrous awe.

Z23 was about to say something similar but she decided to instead look over to whoever helped them, revealing the small light carrier Shouhou, with her fan opened up and paper planes floating around her.

"I'll do my best to help! We just need to hang in there for a bit longer until-op!" Shouhou had quickly skated up to the two and was about to reveal their plan, but she luckily caught herself as she covered her mouth with her hands.

"A bit longer? They've definitely got something else planned..." Atago put a hand under her chin as she thought.

"Well whatever it is, as long as Shoukaku-nee is with me, I'm invincible!" Zuikaku declared before dashing at the two destroyers.

"SG give me your power!"

"Huh!?" Zuikaku cried out as she had to backflip out of an incoming barrage of cannon-fire coming from her left.

"Are you three okay?" The now revealed Helena asked as she skated up to the three girls.

"Yeah, great timing Helena." Laffey said with but thumbs up.

"Hehe, I'm glad I made it, but right now…" Helena said before putting a hand to the mini SG radar on her head and turning to face her opponents, "we need to do our best for Shikikan. Let's go everyone!"

"Yeah!" The girls chanted as they prepared to fight once more.

'Tsk…, I remember her. That radar of hers is anything but fair!' Shoukaku frowned, remembering who the bluenette was from the previous war between Azur Lane and Crimson Axis. "Zuikaku! Atago-san! I don't know what it is they are trying to accomplish here, but for now let's not hold anything back!" She yelled before playing her flute, summoning more squadrons of planes to encircle her before flying out at her targets.

"Fire the anti-air guns!" Helena commanded as they all released a brutal AA battery, blowing up all of Shoukaku's fighters.

"I'm here too!" Zuikaku said as she tried to catch the group off guard by charging at them.

"Go Laffey! Z23!"

"Kay.." ,"_Ja_!" The two dashed forth while firing their guns in unison, forcing Zuikaku to a halt as she had to slash through their combined efforts.

"I'll try to fend off Atago, Shouhou do whatever you can to deal with Shoukaku!" Helena said before she dashed to her left while firing at the heavy cruiser.

"That's easier said than done! But I'll do what I can!' Shouhou cried out before launching her torpedo bombers once more at Shoukaku.

[Javelin vs Hyuuga]

"Hup!" Ey!" The two yelled as they were locked in combat with their polearms, moving too fast for untrained eyes to witness their movements.

"_Hora_!" Hyuuga yelled as she had just managed to swipe Javelin's incoming thrust away from her face before spinning around and slashing downwards at the destroyer, causing her to sidestep to her far left.

"Witness Javelin's performance!" She said as she quickly followed with her main guns firing at Hyuuga point blank. Barely dodging in time with a matrix dodge, Hyuuga quickly recovered herself with a leg sweep at the destroyer. Jumping up and away from the battleship's sweep, Javelin readied her weapon before charging right at Hyuuga once more. "Ey!"

'So persistent!' Hyuuga grunted. "Tsk, let's see you try this! Twelve main guns — full salvo!" She yelled before blasting her cannons at Javelin.

"Eek!" Javelin yelled before quickly diving out of the line of fire and tumbling along the water's surface.

"Not bad Royal Navy destroyer! But you're sorely mistaken if you think you'd stand a chance against me!" Hyuuga taunted.

"Phew! My part of the plan is done!" Javelin giggled as she wiped off the sweat on her brow.

"Huh, what are you talking about and what is this plan you all keep mentioning?" Hyuuga was dumbfounded at the giggling destroyer with her guard down in the middle of a fight.

"Don't worry! You'll see soon!" Javelin said as she glanced backwards.

"What do you….." Hyuuga started before looking over to where Javelin glanced over towards, only to realize she just messed up big time. "Ah crap! Watch out!"

[A few minutes ago..]

"Ha!" "Ey!" The sounds of two blades clashing could be heard from a nearby part of the ocean.

"It's been awhile since we've last sparred like this Ayanami! You're as formidable as ever!" Takao smiled as she was locked in a sword bind with the destroyer.

"Likewise, Takao-san's mastery with her sword is truly awe-inspiring _des_. But for the Shikikan, I refuse to give up!" Ayanami declared right before spinning around and slashing at her again.

"I have nothing but respect for your resolve! But I shall not falter! Ha!" Takao said as she parried Ayanami's incoming side slash before the two followed up with rapid slashes at each other, hitting steel on steel as the two went at it faster than the eye could see.

'Just a little more!' Ayanami encouraged herself as she swung her blade with her full body at Takao, forcing her backwards along the water. Jumping to her right before continuing, Ayanami dashed once more at Takao, who was now on the complete defensive seeing the destroyer rushing at her. Once close enough, Ayanami twirled up into the air and came down at Takao with a strong downward slash, forcing Takao backwards again.

Takao was about to brace herself for another assault but noticed that Ayanami was standing still and just staring at Takao.

"What's wrong Ayanami? Tired already?" She asked.

"_Iye_, it's just the plan was a success _des_." Ayanami responded as she tilted her head and smiled slightly.

Takao was about to ask what she meant before she heard a loud voice from behind.

"Ah crap! Watch out!"

Quickly turning around, Takao noticed that a large barrage of cannon-fire was coming directly at her.

"Wha!?" She yelled just before she swung around to try and brace herself since she had no chance of blocking or dodging. "Agh!" She grunted as she took the brunt of the barrage.

"Eh? Takao-ch!?" Atago said in shock hearing Takao's yell. Unfortunately for her, she was stopped mid-sentence as she had to dodge incoming cannon fire from Helena.

"I'm fine! Ugh!" Takao said as she swiped the smoke away to reveal hers uniform in tatters and covered in smoke. 'Tsk! How careless of me to get hit with friendly fire like that. Was that planned or just sheer luck?' She questioned as she struggled a bit to stand up, right before a thought came to mind. 'Wait Ayanami is-!?'

She swung around to see Ayanami in arm's length trying to grab her red ribbon. With honed reflexes she had no choice but to grab Ayanami's arm and throw her over her shoulder with a judo throw.

Though surprised, Ayanami easily landed on her feet after being thrown, but had no time to rest as Takao had followed up with a wave of torpedo shells. With no time to dodge, Ayanami decided to fire her own torpedo shells, causing multiple explosions as the opposing torpedoes collided with each other.

The smoke barely cleared before Ayanami could be seen dashing and firing her main guns at Takao. Still feeling the pain from taking Hyuuga's cannons head on, Takao barely managed to slash all of Ayanami's shots, well all except for one that landed near her left leg, forcing her to take a knee.

'Be calm as water.' Takao took a quick deep breath. "This isn't over yet!" She yelled before firing all her guns at Ayanami.

"_Ima-des_!" Ayanami said as she sped up out of the way of the projectiles and quickly closed the distance between the two as she jumped high into the air and proceeded to aim a downward slash at Takao who was just barely standing now.

Moving on nothing but sheer instinct and willpower, Takao swung her blade in front of her as she placed her other hand on the back of the blade as she braced for impact.

"Ey!" Ayanami yelled as she swung with all her remaining strength. Ayanami's heavy swing proved to be too much for the injured, fatigued heavy cruiser as she was pushed back onto to her back and her sword dropping to her side.

"Huff…huff…huff…heh, well done Ayanami." Takao congratulated the victorious destroyer and conceded as she put her hands up in surrender with a satisfied smile on her face.

"_Sugoi nya! Takao has been defeated!_" Akashi announced.

"_Stay right where you are Takao, I'm on my way as we speak to check on your injuries."_ Vestal added.

"It would seem I still have much to learn." Takao chuckled lightly as she lied down on the water's surface.

"It was a well fought battle Takao-san _des_. It was also thanks to Shikikan's and Javelin's efforts that I managed to pull a win against you." Ayanami smiled as she offered Takao a hand up, to which she gladly took up.

[Back to Javelin and Hyuuga]

"_Sugoi nya! Takao has been defeated!_" Akashi announced.

"Damnit! I messed up big time!" Hyuuga chastised herself before turning back to Javelin. "Why you!" She yelled as she rushed relentlessly at Javelin.

"Ehehe, Shikikan's plan worked out perfectly!" The bubbly destroyer giggled happily as she quickly jumped away to gain some distance. "Thank you for the help Miss Hyuuga! With that part of the mission a success I bid you farewell!" Javelin teased the now very annoyed battleship as she quickly skated away.

"Oh no you don't! Get back here!" Hyuuga yelled in anger as she was about to chase after the destroyer.

"Hyuuga! Don't!"

"Wha-? Nee-san?" Hyuuga stopped in her tracks and turned around to see her sister nearby, struggling to catch her breath.

"I get how you feel, but there was no way you could've known! You and me both know we aren't the brightest after all ahaha!" Ise laughed.

"Tsk, yeah, you're right…" Hyuuga said after resigning herself to her sister's words.

"Good, now come help me over here, Fusou and Yamashiro might not be the best of fighters, but they sure know how to fight from a distance." She said before turning back over to Fusou and Yamashiro a safe distance away.

"Sounds fun! Let's even those odds then!" Hyuuga said as she regained her composure and readied herself.

Over with Yamashiro and Fusou…

"_Ney_ _Fusou-neesama_, how much longer do we have to hold out? I was already having a rough time dodging Ise's cannons and now Hyuuga's joining the fight too." Yamashiro whined.

"Just a bit more Yamashiro, Ayanami just managed to defeat Takao-san so we only have to hold out a bit more!" She said trying to encourage before an idea popped into her head. "Plus, I'm sure Milord will praise us if we do well!"

Upon hearing Shikikan's name, Yamashiro's eyes sparkled, her tail stood straight up, and her fatigue seemed to have vanished. "Fusou-neesama! Let's do our best for Milord's sake! Ammo storage is fine...alright! _Ike_!" She said before firing her cannons at Ise and Hyuuga.

'Hehe, how precious you are Yamashiro.' Fusou giggled before firing her main cannons as well.

{With Laffey, Z23, Helena, Shouhou, Atago, Shoukaku, and Zuikaku}

Currently, Laffey and Z23 were in a standoff with Zuikaku, all seeming to be more than just a bit fatigued.

"Seems like Ayanami and Javelin pulled through! Okay just a bit more on our end then Laffey!" Z23 said as she blasted at Zuikaku.

"Tsk!" Said carrier grunted as she sliced through the incoming projectiles. "Shoukaku-nee! What is going on over there!? How'd they manage to take down Takao-san of all people!?" She asked as she jumped back a bit.

"It seems that the one Hyuuga was dealing with tricked her into firing a full salvo at the area where Ayanami was forcing Takao into. I can't see either of them being this crafty, could this be the Shikikan's doing?" Shoukaku said before playing her flute and dealing with Shouhou's incoming planes.

"Ha…ah…ha….I don't know how much longer I can hold out for everyone…." Shouhou said exhausted beyond belief.

"Stay strong for just a bit longer! We are almost there!" Helena shouted before firing at an incoming Atago and jumping back to keep her distance.

"Onee-san is starting to get really annoyed you know? Losing Takao-chan, being left in the dark of your plan, playing this hit and run game with you, and worst of all, not being picked to be on Shikikan's team breaks Onee-san's heart!" Atago said with an intense aura around her.

"A-atago-san, that last part sounds a bit treacherous ahaha…" Zuikaku laughed awkwardly.

"Don't worry Zuikaku, Shikikan won't get away with this unpunished of course ufufu…" Atago said with darkened eyes and a rather scary chuckle.

'I'm kind of starting to feel a bit sorry for Shikikan…' Zuikaku sweat dropped.

"Atago, moving out!" She declared before rushing at Helena.

Helena tried stopping her in her tracks by firing all her guns, but Atago was having none of it as she simultaneously sliced through all of the cannon fire and was quickly closing the distance between them.

"Ara ara, how should I torment you all ufufu..?" Atago said as she shot two waves of torpedoes at Helena.

"SG give me your power!" Helena said before focusing all of her fire at the torpedoes. She succeeded in managing to destroy all of them thanks to SG, but Atago had taken this moment to close the gap between them and was no in sword range of Helena.

"You fought well, but you'll have to take a rest here!" Atago said before swinging down at the defenseless Helena.

"Oh no you don't!" A voice declared before a wave of cannon fire forced Atago to stop mid swing and jump back to avoid being the barrage.

"Cleveland!" Helena said with sheer relief.

"Yo Helena! Your knight of the sea has arrived!" The tomboyish cruiser grinned as she stepped in front of the bluenette.

"Nice timing Clevebro." Laffey called out with a thumbs up.

"Don't call me that!" Said knight blushed.

"Wait if you're here then that means…" Z23 began before turning her head back to the 5th division carriers, or more specifically towards the familiar cruiser a fair distance behind them. In a line in front of said cruiser stood five members of the Shikikan's team, all with their rigging summoned and ready to go.

_"Well done girls! I'll take command from here." A voice said via radio._

"Shikikan!" His team members exclaimed happily.

"Ara, Shikikan! Did you hear Onee-san's wish to have you nearby?" Atago giggled with a slight ominous aura sending a sudden chill up Shikikan's back upon hearing that. "_Daijoubu_ Shikikan, Onee-san won't bite, well at least not too hard of course ufufu…."

"How kind of you to save us the effort of hunting you down ufufu…" Shoukaku smiled as she turned to face him. "Zuikaku, taking the Shikikan's ribbon right here means we win and the prize!"

"Alright! Get ready to hand over your ribbon and make a whole lot of tempura Shikikan!" Zuikaku smiled as she pointed her sword in his direction.

Feeling a sudden chill running down his spine, Shikikan took a deep breath and briefly closed his eyes for a second, regaining his composure.

_"Vanguard unit, engage!" He declared as he swung his hand out._

Said unit comprising of Graf Spee, Z46, Eldridge, San Diego, and Edinburgh all rushed forward as they sailed forth towards the Sakura Empire members.

On Shikikan's cruiser...

"Belfast, Sheffield, and Unicorn, please go help Yamashiro and Fusou."

"Okay! Unicorn will do her best!"

"As you wish Master, come Miss Unicorn." Belfast bowed as she offered said little girl a hand before the two jumped down from his cruiser.

"Good hunting Master." Sheffield bowed before she began following after them.

"You as well Sheffy." He smiled seeing her, Belfast, and Unicorn sail off.

"Yuubari go ahead and ready the smokescreen and C-foam grenades."

"_Hai_ _Goshujin_!" Yuubari saluted cutely as she made her way inside the cruiser.

"Alright it's all or nothing at this point." He murmured to himself before following after Yuubari.

[With Atago, Shoukaku, and Zuikaku]

"Ara, so Shikikan's plan was to chip away at our numbers before bringing his full force to finish us off."

"7, 8, 9, 10!? Talk about a numbers disadvantage." Zuikaku said with a slightly nervous smile.

"Hmm, seems like Ise and Hyuuga have their hands full over there as well." Shoukaku added as she looked over to see the two battle ships back to back as they were slowly getting overwhelmed by the Shikikan's team members over there.

"Guess there's no choice but to go all out! Back me up Shoukaku-nee!" Zuikaku requested before recklessly charging forth to meet the five new incoming opponents.

"Sigh, what's an older sister to do. Ufufu, well I'll go make sure Zuikaku doesn't get in over her head. Good luck Atago!" Shoukaku giggled before playing her flute and launching her planes at the Shikikan's vanguard unit.

"Ara ara, having five gang up on Onee-san like this is quite cruel Shikikan." Atago said as she turned to face Laffey, Z23, Helena, Cleveland, and Shouhou on her own.

"Gotta say, it's pretty cool how she's able to keep her composure in a situation like this huh Helena?"

"Yeah, it's impressive, but it also must mean she's confident in herself. Everyone! Be on your guard!"

"Yeah!" They all chanted before Z23, Laffey, and Cleveland rushed at Atago while Helena and Shouhou provided support from the back.

The three charging her stopped midway before Cleveland stopped in her tracks, Laffey shifting to the left, and Z23 to the right, effectively flanking Atago. Once all three were in position they all fired at once at the heavy cruiser who had no choice but to stand her ground, slashing and dodging all the shells as best as she could, not noticing in time to react to the torpedo bombers dropping their payload above her.

"Kya!" She yelled as she took one to her right side before getting blasted by the three members surrounding her.

"_Atago is deemed no longer able to continue. Stay where you are since Vestal is already checking on Takao nearby."_ Shiranui announced.

"Man, Shikikan's strategies are scary." Cleveland commented to which Laffey and Z23 nodded, all feeling a bit bad for the heavy cruiser in front of them.

"Ara Shikikan, while Onee-san appreciates the attention you are giving her, this is no way to express your feelings. Perhaps a punishment is in order ufufu….." Atago said with darkened eyes and a maniacal grin.

[With Shikikan]

The Shikikan felt another chill as he was overlooking the battles from his command room. 'Scary, Atago is very scary.' He shuddered. "Yuubari let's move in a little, I get the feeling that the sooner I speak with Atago the better ahaha…." He sweat dropped.

"_Hai!_" Yuubari said as she steered the cruiser closer towards the action.

[With the vanguard unit vs. the 5th carrier division]

"Seriously!? Atago too!?" Zuikaku frowned as her situation was no better. "This isn't looking good Shoukaku-nee! Where's Ise and Hyuuga?" She asked before trying to send out her planes, only for them to be shot down by the combined anti-air guns of San Diego and Z46.

"They aren't looking too good, they've yet to land a single hit on any of the enemies over there and are both worse for wear." Shoukaku confirmed through one of her planes before she had to jump back to avoid Graf Spee and Edinburgh's guns.

"Heh, guess it's all or nothing starting now!" Zuikaku steeled herself as she dashed forth towards Z46 and San Diego with her katana out.

"Eldridge will try her best too." She said from the side as her ahoge sparkled and shot multiple electrically charged projectiles at Zuikaku.

"It'll take more than that to stop me!" Zuikaku smirked as she turned to slash through them.

"Huh? Wait Zuikaku! Don't touch them! Dodge!" Shoukaku called out.

"Wha-?" Zuikaku was stopped in her tracks as she jumped up to avoid the first projectile.

"Ey" Eldridge said as she brought her hands up, causing her projectiles to change direction and shoot straight up towards Zuikaku.

"Nani!?" She yelled before using her sword to block the incoming projectiles, a decision she immediately regretted.

"Argh!" She yelled as she was electrocuted as soon as her katana connected with the first one with many more piled on immediately after.

"Zuikaku!" Shoukaku cried out as she saw her sister falling down and crashing into the water. Upon closer inspection, Zuikaku was out cold with swirls in her eyes and imaginary Manjuus floating around her head.

"I'd recommend you surrender as well."

Shoukaku's eyes widened as she turned around only to now notice that she was completely surrounded on all sides by the rest of the Shikikan's vanguard unit, all with their guns trained on her.

'Tsk, I've been completely outmaneuvered.' Shoukaku sighed before a smile slowly formed on her face. "Congratulations Shikikan, I surrender and will gladly be under your care." She said with her hands up.

"_Zuikaku is unable to continue and Shoukaku has been forced to surrender nya!" _

"Are you alright, Zuikaku?" Shoukaku asked skating up to her sister still flat on her back on the water.

"Ahehe, I got to excited, sorry Shoukaku-nee." Zuikaku said with an embarrassed smile.

"Oh! It's Vestal!" San Diego chimed in as she saw said repair ship moving towards them.

"Hello everyone! I'm here to treat all of your injuries!" She said before kneeling down and getting to work on Zuikaku first.

"Good luck you two…" Shoukaku said as she glanced over to see how Ise and Hyuuga were doing.

[With said battleships]

"Huff, huff, huff…looks like we're the last of the Sakura Empire team. Got any ideas, Hyuuga?"

"Ha…ha…. Nope, I'm running on empty here." Hyuuga replied as she was using her naginata to hold herself up.

"Yeah, me too, but giving up here would be too lame. Let's go out in a blazing glory Hyuuga!" Ise used the rest of her strength to charge right at Belfast.

"Sounds good to me!" Hyuuga said as she followed after her sister and charged at Sheffield.

"It would appear they have intention of surrendering. Let us pay our respects to them then Sheffy." Belfast said as she launched all of her torpedoes at Ise and followed up with a full barrage.

"How recklessly admirable." Sheffield said with a ghost of a smile before charging right at Hyuuga with both her guns blazing.

"Unicorn will help too!" She said as she launched her fighters and torpedo bombers at the two battleships.

"Don't forget about us!" Fusou chimed in before she and Yamashiro fired their volleys high into the air at the two charging battleships.

"Brace yourself Hyuuga!" Ise yelled as she refused to falter.

"I have no regrets!" Hyuuga roared before she, Ise, and the sea around them were engulfed in explosions.

"_In a display of unwavering resolve and tenacity, Ise and Hyuuga had fought to the bitter end. They will be remembered for their valiant efforts." Shiranui announced. _

"_Oi nya! Don't go killing them off nya!" Akashi chastised her devious longtime friend._

"_Ufufu, my apologies I couldn't help myself after seeing the end of that fight." Shiranui chuckled before quickly regaining her composure. "With Ise and Hyuuga out for the count, the Sakura Empire team is the first to taste defeat at the hands of the Shikikan and his fleet."_

After the clouds of smoke finally cleared, Ise and Hyuuga could be seen sprawled out on the water's surface.

"O-ouch…maybe surrendering wouldn't have been so bad of a idea after all aha-ow.." Ise said as she lied down covered in injuries and debris.

"Oww….we really aren't the brightest sisters after all." Hyuuga said as she was lying down on her stomach unable to move.

"We did it Fusou-nee sama!" Yamashiro cheered as she hugged her sister.

"Ey, but I'm not so sure if we should be happy or sad that the Sakura Empire was the first to lose ahaha….." Fusou sweat dropped.

"If I may," Belfast skating up chimed in, "being the first ones out in this exercise is not something to be ashamed about."

"_She's right!" _

"Wa!? Milord? You surprised me!" Yamashiro jumped a bit as she heard his voice through her radio.

"_Aheh, sorry about that Yamashiro but I was just about to contact everyone when I overheard you girls. Like Belfast said there's no need to feel any shame in being the first to lose. I focused my efforts on defeating the Sakura Empire first because I felt that you girls as a whole were the biggest threat that I needed to focus my attention on first."_

"_Ara is that so Shikikan? Perhaps you don't need a punishment after all ufufu." Another voice was heard though the radio._

"_Um, Atago it's kind of hard to breathe…"_Shikikan's voice for some reason sounded a bit muffled.

"_Oi Atago! Get off Shikikan! There's a limit to how shameless you can be in public!" _

"Atago! Takao! Are you both okay to be moving about already?" Fusou asked in surprise.

"_Hai, thanks to Vestal's first aid, Atago and I are ready to sortie once more."_

"_Ey, Vestal's just about finished checking up on Zuikaku and Shoukaku and will be on her way to where you girls are soon."_

"_Also, Belfast, the others are making their way to me right now, so once everyone's gotten the 'OK' from Vestal, bring everyone with you back to my ship please. _

"As you wish Master." Belfast bowed before ending the transmission.

"I've spotted Miss Vestal nearby. I'll head over to see if I can provide any assistance." Sheffield, who was standing nearby, informed before skating over to meet her halfway.

"I shall head over as well. Shall we all go together?" Belfast offered the two battleships who nodded in agreement before they all skated off.

[Back to the Shikikan]

"Um Atago, y-you're a bit close…"

"But of course, Shikikan, Onee-san decided to settle on squeezing you tightly in her arms as punishment for how you didn't pick her to be on your team and how forceful you were with me ufufu." Atago replied as she tightened her embrace around his neck as she hugged him from behind.

'So soft….., no wait! Get your head out of the gutter and focus on finishing this exercise!' Shikikan scolded himself.

"S-sorry about that Atago, but I didn't think I'd have won against you otherwise. And about not picking you on my team at the start, while I really wanted to have you on my team, it would've been more impressive to everyone if I managed to defeat you., you know?" He tried consoling Atago, who was slowly tightening her grip up until now.

[Affinity Up!]

"Ufufu, smooth talking your way out of this won't make Onee-san want to ease up on you Shikikan." She whispered into his ear, sending a shiver done his spine and turning his knees into jelly.

"Aku soku zan!" A voice proclaimed.

"Ow!" Atago yelled as she felt a scabbard bonk her on the head.

"Atago! I already told you to stop bothering Shikikan!" Takao said as she pointed her scabbard at her, threatening her mischievous sister ship with it.

"Kya! Shikikan help! Scary Takao is bullying me….ufufu.." Atago said in pretend fear as she clung ever tighter to the Shikikan, sending him closer to nirvana with her chest pressed so deeply into his back.

"Atago!" Takao yelled with a tick mark on her head as she charged at Atago, which then turned into a cat and mouse game with Atago running away all while dodging Takao's swings.

'They really are like mirror images of each other' Shikikan thought as he saw them 'dueling' about on the ship.

"Master, please stop staring at your subordinates with lewd thoughts in mind."

"Huh! Wait no I wasn't!...?" He quickly turned around to see Sheffield staring at him blankly and Belfast happily smiling smugly at him.

"Apologies for interrupting your pleasant daydreaming Master, but the fleet is awaiting your orders." Belfast said all while clearly enjoying his embarrassed expression.

"L-like I said I wasn't really…" The Shikikan started but he crumbled before the two maids staring at him ever so intently. Now a blushing mess, he quietly walked past them to address his now rather impressive fleet.

"A-all right great work everyone! First things first, Vestal, could I ask for an injury report?"

"There were some minor cuts, bruises, and burns, but nothing too serious. Everyone should be able to continue without worry!" Vestal confirmed as she waved over to the former Sakura Empire team all healed up and fully loaded.

"Good to hear, and thanks for the help Vestal."

"Glad to help! But for now, I should get out of the way so you can resume the exercise. Good luck Shikikan!" She said while waving good-bye as she left.

'Vestal must have a lot on her plate if she's been designated as the nurse for everyone here. Maybe I should look into improving her nurse's office after this...' Shikikan pondered before turning back to the task at hand.

"Glad to have the rest of the Sakura Empire on my side now." He smiled as he looked at the additions to his ever-growing fleet, all of whom stood on his ship looking energetic and ready to go.

"You really pulled one over us. Just what I'd expect from my new boss ahaha!" Ise laughed heartily as she and Hyuuga seemed eager to continue.

"But of course, that was to be expected of the one who has Ayanami's full trust and support." Shoukaku added as she glanced over to Ayanami happily chatting with her starter squad friends before turning her head back to face him. Taking a few steps closer, she reached out to hold his hand with both of hers before bringing it up to her face. "I'm glad to see you aren't just a nice, handsome face Shikikan ufufu." She giggled as Shikikan felt his face burn up from her bold move. "Please do watch over the 5th carrier division and the Sakura Empire from here on Shikikan."

"W-will do." He said shyly as he was unable to maintain his composure under her intense gaze.

"You're blushing like a cute Shoujo manga schoolgirl Shikikan haha!" Hyuuga grinned causing him to lower his hat to avert his eyes away from the Sakura Empire girls surrounding him.

"Shoukaku-san, please don't bully Shikikan." Ayanami pouted cutely as she came to his rescue.

"Ufufu, don't worry Ayanami, I just wanted to express my honest opinion and congratulations, right Shikikan?" She said letting him go and looking at him with a seemingly innocent face that hid her mischievous intent rather well.

"Oh right! We should hurry and get back to the exercise before the others figure out our location ahaha….." Shikikan said as he stiffly speed-walked towards the bow of his ship, all while the Sakura Empire girls were giggling at his flustered self.

"Ayanami, a moment please." Takao came up to said destroyer.

"_Hai_, Takao-san?"

"What did you mean when you said, 'the plan was a success', right before I was caught In Hyuuga's attack? Surely you weren't referring to luring me to that spot specifically, right?"

"No, that was exactly the plan _des_." Ayanami replied bluntly shocking the heavy cruiser, Hyuuga, and the rest of the former Sakura Empire team.

"Allow me to explain." Z23 spoke as she walked up to stand beside Ayanami. "In _Herr Kommandant's_ own words, 'Since the remaining Sakura Empire fleet members are all heavy hitters, let's use their own strength against them'. Going from there, _Herr Kommandant _instructed Javelin to bait out a full salvo from either Hyuuga or Ise since they, in his words again, 'seem really eager to fight and most likely will be too absorbed in a fight to notice their surroundings'. From there, he instructed Ayanami through radio where to push Fräulein Takao back towards, all while coordinating with where Javelin and Hyuuga were positioned."

The former Sakura Empire stared in shock and silence before Ise spoke up.

"Man, you both really got played like a fiddle ahaha!" She laughed heartily at an embarrassed Hyuuga and Takao.

"Ara Takao-chan, it's rare I ever get to see you this flustered ufufu." Atago teased as she cuddled up to Takao.

"Oi Atago, I told you to stop being so shameless!" She yelled as struggled out of Atago's grip.

"She said either me or you, so you'd have done the same as I did Ise-neesan!" A red faced Hyuuga shouted.

"You're probably right about that ahaha!" Ise grinned.

"I'm getting flashbacks to exercises against Jintsuu and Souryuu-senpai…" Zuikaku laughed awkwardly.

"Now you've got me wondering if those two could've countered Shikikan..." Shoukaku said as she placed a hand on her cheek.

"Ahem, attention everyone!" Shikikan called out to everyone as they all came to stand at attention around him and the bow of the ship. "Who's ready for the next battle?"

[With the Ironblood]

"Looks like we don't have to worry about being the first ones out anymore." Eugen pondered with a finger on her lips.

"Hmph, he might've gotten the drop on us once, but that dummkopf's got another thing coming the next time we meet." Hipper spat.

"Making a fool of me and stealing Spee away from me, it's times like these... where I simply must punish you ahaha!" Deutschland said with a wild grin as she brainstormed what she would do once she had Shikikan in her grasp.

"Hmph? Hold up." Scharnhorst commanded as she brought everyone to a halt.

"Looks like you three get to have your chance of revenge a lot sooner than expected…" Gneisenau added as she glanced at Scharnhorst, Hipper, and Deutschland before looking at the sight before her.

"Greetings members of Ironblood. Could I interest you in surrendering to Master?" Belfast smiled and bowed.

"Ara Belfast, to think you were defeated so early on in the game. What would Queeny think once she hears of this?" Eugen taunted as she stepped up in front of her allies.

"Thank you for your concern, but rest assured that Her Highness will understand once this exercise is over and Master is declared as the victor." An unfazed Belfast replied as she continued smiling happily.

"Hah? The only ones going to be declared victors are us in the Ironblood. There's no way that dummkopf stands a chance now that we know all of his tricks." Hipper spat back confidently.

"_What makes you say that Hipper?" _

"Wha-!?" Hipper yelped as she heard Shikikan's voice from somewhere.

"_Sorry about that Hipper, didn't mean to scare you like that." _

"Who was scared!?" The tsundere yelled into her radio as she finally realized that Shikikan had hacked into the Ironblood channel.

"Are you going to hide while your fleet does all the work? That's not very manly of you." Eugen sung.

"_Sorry about that Eugen, but I have to admit I'd hate to be anywhere near there right now."_

"Hahaha! It's only natural for a lesser being to be scared of someone as great as I ahahahaha!" Deutschland laughed haughtily.

"To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed in you _Herr Kommandant_." Scharnhorst said as she wasn't too keen on having such a wimp of a commander ordering her around.

"_Ahaha…, give me a break Scharnhorst, I can't help but fear being labeled as collateral damage, you know?"_

"I understand your fear of the Ironblood as I'm sure you've heard a lot about us but-wait...what did you just say?" Gneisenau stopped mid-sentence as she realized what he said.

As soon as she finished speaking multiple sounds of cannon fire and engines running were heard on all sides of the Ironblood squad.

"Tsk, not bad _Herr Kommandant._" Eugen smirked with wild eyes as she deployed her shields.

"Wait what's going on!?" A flabbergasted Deutschland asked as she saw a literal rain of projectiles and airplanes coming at them.

"Baka, can't you tell? While you all were taunting him, he had his entire fleet sneak around and open fire on us from all sides." Hipper snapped as she too deployed her shields.

"Looks like I'll have to apologize to him later_._" Scharnhorst grinned before putting her arms up to guard herself.

Meer moments later, the sounds of crashing projectiles, machine guns firing, and bombs dropping deafened the area where the Ironblood team stood.

[With Shoukaku's team]

"Direct hit on all targets Shikikan." Shoukaku radioed to him as she scoured the area with her planes.

"Yikes, that's definitely gotta hurt." Zuikaku sweat dropped as she saw the devastating assault the Shikikan planned out.

"Yeah, I'd hate to be them right now." Ise added while Hyuuga nodded in agreement.

"Seems like Fusou's team also managed to land multiple direct hits as well." Shoukaku informed her team members. "Shikikan also said to move in and prepare to fire once more." She added before leading her team up towards the Ironblood team.

[With Shikikan]

With the surprise onslaught of firepower and airplanes done, the Shikikan had cruised his ship away from behind the large rock and towards the Ironblood team.

"Do you think that did them in _Goshujin_?"

"Judging by how neither Akashi or Shiranui has announced anything to us, I'd say unfortunately no." He concluded as he stopped his ship a distance away from the center of the smoke that had begun to clear and show multiple broken shields crumbling in the air and an Ironblood team that looked like they all just went through Hell and back.

"Yeah definitely a negative on that Yuubari."

"I-it'll take a lot more than that to beat us _you dummkopf_!" Hipper snarled as she struggled a bit to stand upright.

"I shall fight until the last bullet! " Scharnhorst huffed even though she was in awful shape after taking multiple direct hits.

"Ha….ha…I-it's not enough. I. Want. MORE!" A visibly injured Eugen yelled with wild eyes and a bone chilling grin.

"D-don't underestimate the Great Deutschland!" She grunted as she cradled her arm.

'Ironblood tech sure is amazing…' The Shikikan stared in surprise before recollecting himself. "I'll be honest, I was hoping that would've been enough, but I stand corrected."

"Falling in love on the battlefield are we now _Herr Kommandant_? Not that I can blame you of course ufufu." Eugen grinned.

"Heh, that's one way to put it." He replied surprisingly smoothly.

"Well there you have it _Herr Kommandant_, any last words before we pay you back in kind?" Gneisenau asked as she pushed up her glasses, causing them to glare up **(A/N: Like in anime with every character with glasses lol]. **

"Only a question if I may?"

"Hmm? And what would that be?"

"In the off chance of a second wave, what would you girls do?" He smiled before multiple torpedo waves were shot out towards the Ironblood fleet.

"Scatter!" Eugen yelled as they all dispersed from the center of their formation where the torpedoes all collided, causing multiple explosions.

"You sure do know how to keep a girl entertained _Herr Kommandant_!" Eugen grinned, but not before sensing danger from behind and swiftly turning around.

"Good day Miss Prinz Eugen."

"Well if it isn't the Head Maid herself, I was wondering where you scurried off to during all of that." Eugen said as she trained her guns at the light cruiser.

"It's not nice of you to ignore Onee-san you know? Maybe some punishment is in order ufufu…" Atago chuckled as she stepped out from behind Belfast.

"I'd recommend you lay down your arms before its too late." Takao, also stepping out, added before drawing her blade.

"And miss out on all this fun? No thanks, I'll pass!" Eugen smirked before dashing forth and opening fire on the three cruisers before her.

"That idiot….we should've regrouped but she just had to get all wound up. Now I have to deal with all them by myself." Hipper frowned as she turned back to face the group before her.

"As dishonest with yourself as ever I see. Is it truly that hard to be honest with yourself and admit that you wanted some semblance of support?"

"Hah!? Who said anything about needing help, Fize!?" Hipper raged.

"She kinda reminds me of Hammann wouldn't ya say Helena?" Cleveland chuckled lightly.

"Sigh, well either way, I hope you're ready to hand over that red ribbon." Z46 said as she unsheathed her sword.

"Hmph, as if three opponents would scare me." Hipper replied with hands on her hips and her shields deployed once more.

[With Scharnhorst and Gneisenau]

"Think you can keep up with me still Gneisenau?"

"Judging by how I'm in a lot better shape than the one who refused to get behind either Eugen's or Hipper's shields, I'll be fine." She sighed.

"Hah, as if I'd ever retreat from a fight."

"Ironblood battlecruisers! We are Ise and Hyuuga of the Sakura Empire and we challenge you!" Ise grinned as she and Hyuuga spun their naginatas around and pointed them at their declared opponents.

"I'm not one for CQC, so I'll leave them to you Schwester while I deal with the other two." Gneisenau sighed before facing the other two battleships standing together by Ise and Hyuuga.

"Fusou of the Sakura Empire. I apologize in advance, but for the sake of my Milord I won't be holding back." She greeted.

"Everyone, go~! Waaah?! My guns fired on accident!" Yamashiro yelped right as she accidentally fired her main guns directly at the two battlecruisers, forcing them to dodge and go separate ways.

"Haha! Nice one Yamashiro! Let's go Hyuuga!" Ise laughed as she and her sister began charging at Scharnhorst.

"I'm not sure if that was planned or not but either way it was effective in separating me from Scharnhorst." Gneisenau thought aloud.

"Well…good job I guess Yamashiro?" Fusou half questioned, half complimented before firing her cannons at Gneisenau.

"Hehe, I'm feeling lucky today Fusou-neesama!" Yamashiro chirped happily before firing on purpose this time.

[With Deutschland]

"Watashi watashi numbah 1, yay!"

"Would you shut up already!? Either that or stand still and let me hit you!" Deutschland yelled, beyond annoyed she wasn't able to land a single hit on the dancing care-free light cruiser before her. " _Verdammt_! Here I am fighting a single opponent while everyone else gets a bunch.

"Deutschland.…."

"And why do I have deal with this dimwit of all people? Stop singing and fight me already!"

"Deutschland?"

"That slave is gonna regret underestimating the Great Deutschland! Ahahaha!"

"Deutschland!"

"WHAT!?" She asked seething with rage and annoyance as she turned around to address who was calling her out nonstop only to realize that it was her very own sister, Spee.

"Your rear's wide open." Graf Spee said before swinging her arms down at her sister.

"Wa!" Deutschland yelped as she dove to the side. "I can't believe my own schwester is attacking me!"

"I can't believe you left your guard down, can't get San Diego to fight you seriously, or remember that I'm on _Herr Kommandant's_ team now…." Spee sighed before opening fire on her elder sister.

"Seems like I have to remind you why I'm the older schwester!" Deutschland smirked as she recklessly decided to take Spee's attack head on.

"Let me in on this too!" San Diego said as she fired her guns at Deutschland from behind.

"Huh!? Wait, hold up! Ooph!" Deutschland tried to say before she got sandwiched between the two barrages. Once the smoke cleared, Deutschland was seen flat on her back with swirls in her eyes.

"_Deutschland of the Ironblood is unable to continue._" Shiranui announced.

"Deutschland? You there? Get up!" Spee asked as she skated up to her sister and tried shaking her awake.

"Huh!? Spee? Wait, where am I? And why do I hear laughter?"

"You got too full of yourself and got hit with multiple barrages, and that laughter is _Herr Kommandant's,_ presumably from what he witnessed from your…..'battle'." Spee informed while trying to hold back her own laughter and pointing to her radio where Shikikan was still audibly laughing.

Now embarrassed and extremely red-faced, Deutschland grabbed Spee's mic and yelled, "Oi! Stop laughing at me this instance you…you damn dummkopf!", into it.

[With Shikikan]

'Haha..ha…oh man my sides hurt.' After seeing Deutschland's comical 'battle', the Shikikan was trying his best to come back to his senses. "Sorry and thank you for that Deutschland. You too, San Diego...pft."

"_Hmm? I don't know what's going on but sure thing Shikikan!" _San Diego replied happily.

Deutschland on the other hand though, _"I can hear you still laughing! I demand you stop at once! You too Spee!"_

"Ha..phew, I think I'm good now." He chuckled a bit more before taking a deep breath. "The others are still in combat, so you three can either wait there or come back aboard my ship."

"_I can still fight thought Herr Kommandant!_" Spee protested since she wanted to do more.

"_Me too! I haven't battled anyone yet!" _San Diego added.

"_Yes you have you dim wit! And would you STOP laughing already you dummkopf!?"_

"Pft…, okay, okay, now I'm sure I'm done. And to you Spee and San Diego, I'm really going to need you two for the next and probably the last fight once we're done here, so I'd rather have you two rest and ready up for it."

"_Understood", "Okayyy!" _

"_Ha! Next battle? Just because you pulled a miracle and defeated me doesn't mean that the rest of Ironblood will…"_ Deutschland started before hearing Akashi announce something.

"It looks like the members of Ironblood are on the last of their nya-nine lives nya!"

[With Prinz Eugen]

"Tsk, as if I'm on my last life." Eugen scowled as she was visibly fatigued and her shields barely holding up.

"Most impressive, Ironblood's Prinz Eugen. To think you are able to still stand after being ambushed and fighting 1v3 for this long is most admirable." Takao nodded her head in respects.

"What can I say? Us Ironblood girls are built to last ufufu."

"Apologies to interrupt the friendly banter, but it appears that what Akashi had said holds true for the rest of the Ironblood fleet." Belfast announced as she glanced behind Eugen.

"What?" Eugen as she quickly looked behind her.

Sensing danger, Eugen went wide eyed as she quickly turned back to see multiple incoming torpedoes, forcing her to jump out of the way.

"That was quite the dirty trick for a maid don't you think?" Eugen said as she scowled at Belfast smiling smugly, much to Eugen's fatigued chagrin.

"Not necessarily, 'all's fair in love and war' after all." Belfast curtsied, almost mockingly so, earning a tick mark on Eugen's head.

"Ara, don't forget about Onee-san ufufu." Atago giggled as she had swiftly snuck behind Eugen and swung her blade, however, Eugen managed to form a shield at the last second, stopping the blade dead in its tracks.

"Ironblood technology is quite formidable, but my blade has no eyes and will cut through even the strongest of shields!" Takao chanted as she dashed right up and swung with enough force to slice right through Eugen's main shield, forcing Eugen backwards along the water from the sheer force.

"Ahh, how interesting." Eugen's wild eyes returned as she forced herself back up and sent her two sentient riggings out to chomp at the two Sakura Empire cruisers.

"Aku soku zan!" Both Atago and Takao chanted as they both managed to stop Eugen's rigging albeit being pushed backwards a bit.

"Dear Miss Eugen, this might be a bit painful." Belfast warned as she formed a smokescreen around her and dashed straight ahead towards Eugen.

"That won't be enough!" Eugen grinned almost maniacally as she fired multiple torpedoes, forcing Belfast to a halt as she fired her own as well, causing smoke and mist to blanket the area around the collision.

"I'd hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it was plenty." Belfast calmly replied as not even a second later, Atago and Takao jumped through the smoke right at a surprised Eugen.

'Verdammt! My rigging won't make it and my shields won't form quick enough!' Eugen panicked as she had no choice but to put arms up as a last-ditch guard.

A second has passed. Then another. And another.

Opening her eyes, Eugen noticed that both Takao's and Atago's blades stopped right before her visage.

"I believe that is checkmate Miss Eugen." Eugen heard as she realized Belfast had the gun on her hand rigging pressed against her back.

"I've been outmaneuvered." Eugen sighed as she closed her no longer wild eyes and held her arms up in defeat.

"_Prinz Eugen is the next to fall nya!" _

"Shikikan was right. You truly were a formidable opponent." Takao said with a small smile as she withdrew her sword.

"Ho? What exactly has he said about me?" Eugen asked with sincere curiosity.

"'Prinz Eugen might seem laid back and overly confident, but she definitely has the power to back it up. Be wary of her riggings and try to coordinate your attacks to throw her off.'" Belfast said as she summed up Shikikan word for word.

"Hmm, how flattering of h—" Eugen started.

"I believe he also mentioned how despite what others might say, Eugen's achievements in the past were more than just luck and that she will not give up unless you three completely overwhelm her." Atago pondered with a finger on her chin.

[Affinity Up!]

Eugen felt her cheeks warm up a bit upon hearing Shikikan's indirect praises. 'Wow _Herr Kommandant_, you managed to make my heart swoon, even if it was just a little bit ufufu.'

"I've just received word from Master that Miss Vestal has finished resupplying and is on her way back here as we speak." Informed Belfast.

"Should we provide assistance to the others?" Asked Atago.

"Nay, Shikikan mentioned how we shouldn't overdo it since Ayanami's group spotted the combined fleets of Eagle Union, Royal Navy, and even Dragon Empery not far off west from here."

"Hmm, an all-out battle seems pretty imminent and interesting, but whatever will you do about my remaining Ironblood schwesters, my dear _Herr Kommandant_? Ufufu…" Eugen smirked.

[With Hipper]

'Hah!? Eugen lost too? Tsk, who am I kidding? I'm not exactly doing any better.' Hipper chastised herself as she was very much out of breath and ammo.

"You fought well despite being outnumbered, but its time for the curtains to fall." Z46 spoke as prepared to fire the remainder of her ammo.

"Cleveland, we should hurry. I've detected multiple signals clumped together not too far away from here."

"That's gotta be the remaining kansen with red ribbons! Looks like things are heating up! Let's go Helena!" Cleveland grinned as she dashed around and blasted at Hipper and her shields relentlessly.

'Urgh, if it wasn't for that blue haired girl's radar….no Hipper! Don't blame anyone but yourself! Stand strong and fight until the end' Hipper's inner dialogue turned into a motivational one as she desperately fired back with the last remaining ammo she had.

"You're as stubborn as ever I see, but that's one of the reasons why I can say that I respect you wholeheartedly!" Z46 proclaimed right before barraging Hipper.

'Here it comes! Stand strong Hipper!' Hipper screamed internally as she used up the remainder of her strength to form the strongest shield she could to block Z46's attack. Running on nothing but sheer willpower at this point, Hipper forced herself to persevere through the assault, where in the end she managed to stay steadfast before her shield completely crumbled.

"Hah…hah…I did it!" Hipper smiled as she achieved her goal, right before collapsing face first into the water.

"_Admiral Hipper is now no longer able to continue" _Shiranui announced immediately after.

"You truly were a formidable opponent Schwester Admiral Hipper." Z46 said with a ghost of a smile on her lips as she sat down next to the near unconscious Hipper.

"Hah…, i-it wasn't like I wanted praise or anything…' The tsundere replied, earning a small giggle from the destroyer next to her.

"It was a hard-fought battle, but Vestal will be arriving shortly so please take it easy until then." Helena requested, earning an almost inaudible 'hhmph' from the exhausted tsundere.

'I hope Hammann arrives here soon, I'd get the feeling her and Hipper would get along pretty well.' Cleveland chuckled at the thought.

[With Scharnhorst}

"Huff…huff…not yet! It's not over yet!" Scharnhorst grunted as she was the most visibly injured of all of the Ironblood members.

"You're pretty tough aha..ha.." Ise wheezed as she wiped the sweat and blood from her face. Both her and Hyuuga gave up on fighting with their cannons and weapons and decided on just a straight up fist fight with the battlecruiser.

"I've lost count of what round this was, but here I come!" Hyuuga said in between breaths right before she and Ise dashed at Scharnhorst, who summoned the rest of her strength to meet them head on with both her hands pulled back and swung both of the incoming battleships.

"Ora!" Ise and Hyuuga yelled as they reared their respective right and left fists back and swung.

Both of their fists landed squarely on Scharnhorst's visage while both of Scharnhorst's landed on their own as well. The first to fall was Scharnhorst as she slowly fell backwards onto the water. Hyuuga was about to fall as well, but Ise managed to hold herself and her little sister up. Both of them joined hands as they roared triumphantly and simultaneously falling onto their backs as well.

"_What a bloody fist fight nya! All three of them are down, but Scharnhorst seems to be the only one unable to move, so the victors are Ise and Hyuuga nya! Vestal's nya-ot going to be very happy once she sees this though nyaa….." _Akashi shuttered.

"Well fought you two! I appreciate you two not holding back against me despite everything!" Scharnhorst grinned widely as her entire body remained motionless.

"We should be the ones thanking you! I rarely ever get the chance to go all out like this!" Hyuuga laughed.

"Haha yeah, let's do this again sometime!" Ise happily added.

"Sounds good to me!" Scharnhorst immediately replied as all three of them laughed off their injuries, only to wince once the pain came back.

[With Gneisenau]

"It appears that I'm the last remaining member of the Ironblood." Gneisenau sighed as she looked visibly wounded as well. "Perhaps its time to call it quits since I've achieved my goal for today."

"Hmm? W-what goal?" Yamashiro asked in between breaths.

"Though I'm not as bellicose as my sister over there, I'm still confident in my combat capabilities. That said, I wanted to test _Herr Kommandant's _abilities as a commander and see if he would serve as a ray of hope that would signal the end of this never-ending war."

"And how would you say Milord did?" A tired Fusou asked cautiously, carefully watching Gneisenau's movements in case she wanted to pull off a surprise attack.

A few seconds of silence had passed before a small smile formed on Gneisenau's face. "He went beyond my expectations and I can confidently place my trust in him." She said before putting her hands ups.

"_Gneisenau has surrendered, making the Ironblood the second faction to fall to Shikikan's fleet."_ Announced Shiranui.

"Yay, I can finally take a break!" Yamashiro cheered as she slumped down, absolutely exhausted.

"You did well Yamashiro. I'm proud of you." Fusou patted her sister's head and just as exhausted, she slumped down next to her.

"Thank you for your hard work Fusou, Yamashiro." Shikikan said as his cruiser sailed up to the two exhausted battleships.

"Apologies for our unsightly appearance at the moment Milord." Fusou bowed her head as she struggled to get up.

"Don't be! You two did amazing and deserve a long rest. Please go ahead and rest, Vestal arrived a while ago and will be here to check up on everyone over here soon." He smiled.

"Ehehe, Milord complimented us." Yamashiro chirped happily before quickly falling asleep on her sister's shoulder.

"Thank you for your kindness Milord." Fusou smiled as she rested her eyes as well.

"Most impressivework _Herr Kommandant_." Gneisenau complimented as she skated up to where he stood on the bow of the cruiser. "You're quite a force to be reckoned with how flawlessly you defeated both us in the Ironblood and the Sakura Empire." She flashed him a kind smile.

"T-thank you, but I couldn't have done it without everyone's help at the start." He said a bit flustered from her high praise.

"I see…" She continued before a question popped up in her head. "Speaking of, where are Z23 and friends? I don't believe I've seen them during this second encounter." She asked looking around a bit.

"Originally, the plan was to have them on standby and wait for an opening to swipe each Ironblood member's ribbon, but the Eagle Union, Royal Navy, and Dragon Empery alliance was spotted not too far off from here, so I asked them to try to throw them off away from here."

"Avoiding a battle on multiple fronts was a wise choice _Herr Kommandant_, but I'm not too sure on if they'd be able to lead that alliance astray, especially with the famed Eagle Union aircraft carriers and the Royal Navy's Illustrious still opposing y-, apologizes us now." She pondered.

"I'm glad you think so too, Gneisenau." He paused before waving an around out. "But have you noticed the lack of a certain noise since the encirclement ambush?"

Taking a moment to look around and think, she quickly realized what he was referring to. "Airplanes."

Shikikan smiled hearing her answer. "Currently Shoukaku, Zuikaku, Unicorn, Shouhou, and Z23's team are all doing their best to shoot down any and all scout planes being sent out from that alliance from all sides."

"Which would then limit their search radius and prevent them from figuring out where your battle with us was taking place." She concluded wide-eyed before she let out a light laugh.

[Affinity up!]

"It seems we've greatly underestimated you _Herr Kommandant_. I can rest easy now, knowing that my Ironblood schwesters are in very capable hands." She said, not realizing that she had the biggest smile on her face ever since the Sirens first invaded the world.

Not far away from where Shikikan and Gneisenau were chatting lay Ise, Hyuuga, and Scharnhorst as they were currently being bandaged and disciplined by a very unhappy Vestal.

"Turning this exercise into a full-on brawl…Just what on earth compelled you to do something so reckless!? You're all covered in cuts, bruisers, and blood!" Vestal chastised as she relentlessly applied ointment on their injuries without warning and uncaring of their yelps from the stinging pain from the medicine. That said, not one of them dared to complain as Vestal was protruding a rather unsettling, unholy aura that contrasted greatly from her holy maiden-like attire.

Turning her head to the side, Scharnhorst was shocked to see her reserved sister smiling the biggest smile she'd seen in ages. 'I don't know why, but I get the feeling this is _Herr Kommandant_'s doing. I'll have to thank him later, either that or personally train him into a war machine heh.' She monologued before wincing once more from Vestal's treatment.

After a few more moments had passed, Vestal managed to quickly go around and check on everyone, healing up any injuries the ship girls sustained. With a bit of hesitation and annoyance from being bombarded with requests to be allowed to continue, Vestal allowed Scharnhorst, Hyuuga, and Ise to continue the exercise alongside everyone else.

"I don't know what I'd do without you Vestal."

"No worries Shikikan, I'm just glad to be able to help." She smiled with no trace of her unholy aura anywhere anymore.

He gave her a thankful smile before turning around to face his impressive fleet all awaiting his plans. "So who's up for the final battle?" He asked before everyone either cheered or nodded their heads. "Good to hear since this next one is going to be against an alliance between the Royal Navy, Eagle Union, and even the Dragon Empery. I've already informed Z23's and Shoukaku's teams already but here's the plan." He announced before going into detail with everyone present.

"And that should be check and mate. Now, any questions?" He asked upon finishing.

"I didn't think you'd be able to create a failproof plan like this; I think I'm falling in love _Herr Kommandant_ hehehe." Eugen smirked as she heard a plan that she could definitely get behind.

"Hmmph, I'd expect as much from a _kommandant_." Hipper said as she crossed her arms and looked away with a light blush on her visage, doubling as the epitome of a total tsundere.

"When a servant does a good job, it's only common knowledge for a master to give some praise. Therefore, good work slave ahaha!" Deutschland laughed as haughtily as ever.

"By the way Shikikan, I overheard you laughing like crazy a while ago. Did you see something funny?" Ise asked nonchalantly.

Hearing this he looked over to Deutschland before a surprisingly smug, mischievous grin graced his lips, causing the Deutschland to flare up. "So in short, Deutschland over here…." He started all while glancing over at her.

"S-silence! We have a mission to do, do we not, _H-h Herr Kommandant_?" Deutschland asked all flustered, surprising everyone with how she referred to him, and earning a surprised look and a light chuckle from the man in question himself.

"Actually, you might've mistaken my laugh for something else maybe Ise?"

"Hmm that could be the case too, but now I'm curious haha!" Ise laughed, earning a sigh from Hyuuga and laughs all around.

"Seems like _Herr Kommandant_'s got your elder sister around his finger Spee." Scharnhorst joked.

"Seems like something interesting happened, remind me to squeeze what exactly happened out of him later Hipper hehehe." Eugen smirked mischievously.

'I'm glad to see you're enjoying your time with us and moving onwards Shikikan.' Atago smiled as she witnessed first-hand, Shikikan's speedy recovery from his time with the Sirens.

"Do you know something about what Ise asked, Atago?" Takao asked, noticing her sister smiling radiantly.

Taking a step forwards with her hands behind her back, Atago turned around to face her sister, "_Hai_, but it's a secret ufufu."

'It appears Miss Atago has noticed as well.' Belfast thought, her intuition as unbelievably sharp as always.

[With the Eagle Union, Royal Navy, and Dragon Empery alliance.]

"Any luck Hornet?"

"I wish sis, but no matter which direction I send out a scout plane, it gets shot down before I'm able to gather any intel." Hornet frowned.

"He definitely has to be trying to prevent his fleet from having to fight on multiple fronts if he's caged us in like this." Assumed a deep in thought Enterprise.

"Yeah and we can't afford to split up unless we want to get picked off. We could send all our planes in one direction, but the chances of finding the Shikikan and his fleet before he finds us first are slim to none…" Saratoga thought aloud as she tried to figure out how to turn this situation around.

"We've only got Ping Hai and Ning Hai for a front line, our planes keep getting shut down, we're hopelessly outnumbered, and we don't even have information on the Shikikan's fleet's whereabouts, formations, or plans…Ugh my head's about to explode!" Hornet complained with both hands on her head as she vigorously messed up her own hair.

"At first I didn't know what to expect when he chose just four destroyers and a light cruiser for his team at the start. But apparently, he had a whole plan laid out where he would use this to his advantage and trick everyone into letting their guard down. And from there, he slowly but surely built up his fleet and now has us on the ropes. Outstanding move Shikikan." Spoke King George V.

"Heh, it's rare to ever see you at a loss like this." Wales teased.

"Quite so, I can't seem to remember a previous time where I've been this hopelessly outmaneuvered." Admitted a still smiling KGV.

"Hehe, has the 'Knight Commander' herself been smitten by Milord?" Illustrious said as she joined in.

"I show favor to those of character and to those with high culinary aptitude, so I can't deny that the Shikikan has piqued my curiosity." KGV spoke boldly.

"Oh my…" Illustrious giggled with a hand covering her mouth.

"Looks like you've got some competition Enty-nee." A smug Hornet teased as she elbowed her sister.

"N-not this again Hornet…" Enterprise started.

"Um, excuse me but uh….?"

"Hmm? What's wrong Ning Hai?" Enterprise asked turning around to address the small Dragon Empery cruiser, who simply pointed in unison with her sister standing nearby to the east.

"So, _this_ is where you all were hiding." Prinz Eugen spoke upon arrival with her Ironblood schwesters standing behind her.

"It's been awhile Prinz Eugen." Wales replied, smiling calmly. "A shame we had to meet again on opposing sides."

"Sorry, but _Herr Kommandant_ had other plans and won me over first hehe." Eugen sung as she glanced to the cruiser further behind her.

"Uhm…...Eugen? I'd appreciate not being thrown into the middle of whatever this is…" Shikikan sweat dropped, earning a chuckle from Wales and Eugen and feeling his face warm up a bit in embarrassment.

"A-anyway…" He started before taking a deep breath and speaking into his cruiser's mic once more. "Any chance you girls mind surrendering and saving poor Vestal here the trouble?" He smiled as he waved behind him to the repair ship who decided to tag along as a nurse on stand-by duty instead of having to make anymore round trips.

"Hooo? You've gotten quite bold Shikikan. While you've definitely proven yourself as a worthy leader, it will take a lot more than that to defeat us!" KGV proclaimed as she drew her sword and pointed it at him.

"We finally meet in battle Shikikan. Don't hold back and show me everything you got!" Enterprise declared before drawing her bow and forming a light arrow.

"Now's our chance to show what the Dragon Empery is made of Ping Hai! Let's go!"

"_Shì_!" Ping Hai announced before she and Ning Hai took up fighting chances.

"So Shikikan, what'll it be?" Hornet challenged with a grin.

"Hmm…how about a wave 1?"

"Wave 1?" Hornet questioned before hearing Saratoga's yell. "Incoming cannon fire from all sides! And there's a lot of them too!"

"Evasive maneuvers!" Enterprise yelled as the aircraft carriers did their best to avoid direct hits.

"Stand strong Wales!" KGV roared as she struggled to slice through all of seemingly endless waves of cannon fire.

"Curses, he's already taking advantage of our lack of intel." Wales grunted.

"Watch out Ping Hai!" Ning Hai warned before tackling her sister out of an incoming projectile from behind.

"Now! Wave 2 go!" Shikikan ordered through his mic and as soon as he did, countless engines could be heard soaring through the sky above the allied factions.

"Waa! Now there are a bunch of fighters and bombers heading our way!" Saratoga shrieked as she dove out of a fighter's line of fire.

"Let's pay them back in kind with our own then!" Hornet suggested before the four allied carriers started their counterattack.

"AA-guns at the read and….fire!" Wales ordered as she, KGV, and the Hai sisters did their best to survive the bullet hell.

"_Keep the pressure coming! Fire wave 3!"_ Shikikan ordered as more planes and cannon-fire darkened the sky

"This is insane!" Ning Hai yelled as the entire allied forces were completely swamped in the chaos caused by the Shikikan.

After what seemed like an endless onslaught, the allied factions were visibly struggling to catch their breaths.

"Shikikan sure does know how to lay it on thick eheh.." Hornet joked in between breaths.

"Incoming projectiles coming directly from Milord's ship!" Illustrious warned.

"Leave it to us!" The Hai sisters said before firing at the projectiles.

"Hmm? Wait no those are…!" Saratoga tried to warn, but it was too late as the shells exploded, releasing multiple massive clouds of smoke that quickly swept across the battlefield.

"Smokescreens!?" Enterprise started before having to cover her face to avoid inhaling too much.

"All teams engage!" Shikikan's voice was heard across the area.

"Get out the smoke and brace yourselves!" Wales shouted before everyone bolted off in different directions, with the first ones out being Ping Hai and Ning Hai.

"Phew fresh air!" Ning Hai sighed in relief before hearing four familiar voices.

"We were wondering where you two had gone off to." Z23 started.

"Yeah! Where'd you end going?" Asked Javelin.

"Ping Hai saw a gigantic blue marlin up north and got entranced by it, so I ended up having to chase after her."

"Did you catch it _des_?"

"We were close, but then it dove deeper and got away." Ping Hai shook her head.

"Miss Illustrious then came up to us and asked if we wanted to ally with the Eagle Union and Royal Navy." Added Ning Hai before the sisters took up their signature fighting stances. "That said, we won't lose to you four!"

"A feast made by the Shikikan….! Let's hurry _Jiejie_!" Ping Hai said with hungry eyes as they charged at the starter squad.

"Hungry…when's lunch?"

"Hold out until this exercise is over Laffey!" Z23 said with a hurried tone as she started firing away at the Dragon Empery girls.

"The sooner we win, the sooner we get to go eat _des_." Ayanami added before she and Javelin readied their weapons.

"! Self-imposed limiters, released!" Laffey chanted before dashing around and blasting away.

"Let's work hard for Shikikan's sake!" Javelin cheered.

"Yeah!"

[With Enterprise and Saratoga]

"Separating our forces with a siege and following up with a rush order…, not bad Shikikan." Enterprise praised as she drew her bow.

"Grey Ghost! I challenge you!" Zuikaku grinned with her blade pointed at her.

"Well if it isn't the Queen of the Docks ufufu. How fortunate for you that Vestal is on standby nearby." Shoukaku taunted.

"Grr…..How come all of you look so grown!?" Saratoga complained with a pout and teary eyes. "Let's go Enterprise!" She yelled as she launched out a flurry of fighters at Shoukaku.

"Heh…" Enterprise chuckled before she had a serious look on her face. "Enterprise, engage!"

[With Illustrious and Hornet]

"Looks like we got separated from everyone…." Illustrious surmised.

"Greetings Miss Illustrious, Miss Hornet. I hope all is well."

"Good day Belfast, Sheffield, Edinburgh. What a strange turn of events, being on opposing sides and all." Illustrious bowed elegantly.

"Likewise, but as we are under Master's command, do be warned we shall not be holding back." Sheffield warned with both guns out.

"Sheffy, the way you phrased that makes Shikikan seem like a villain, ehehe…" Edinburgh sweat-dropped.

"Yo Hornet! Hope you don't mind us joining in."

"We really ended up drawing the short of the stick…" Hornet grinned nervously at the new additional opponents. "Cleveland, San Diego, and ah! Z46!"

"I'm glad you remember me _Fraulein_ Hornet." Nodded Z46.

"Hah, how could I forget someone who wiped the floor with me twice already?"

"You flatter me, it was a close fight both times, I simply just had the advantage endowed to me by _Herr Kommandant_."

"I don't know what's going on, but let's hurry and do this! Shikikan promised me and Eldridge cake if we won! Let's go!" San Diego said before firing away at an unsuspecting Hornet and Illustrious.

"Whoa! Geez Sandy, this better be some legendary cake!" Hornet joked as she dove out of the way and returned fire with some fighters, only for them to be shot down with ease by Cleveland and San Diego.

'Urgh, Shikikan stop making me fight against AA pros!' Hornet screamed internally before sensing Z46 wind up a swing from her left.

"Oh no you don't!" Hornet backflipped as she dodged the strike, before following up with a roundhouse kick that might've missed but did gain her some distance as Z46 had jumped away to avoid it. "It's not like my planes are my only way of fighting you know!"

Over by Illustrious, the armored carrier was currently surrounded by planes that allowed her to maintain fighting from a distance.

"How tricky…" Sheffield said as she couldn't seem to get close enough without having to deal with incoming air strikes.

"Edinburgh watch out! There's planes above you!" Belfast warned

"Ufu!" Edinburgh tripped as she looked up and stumbled over thin air and was now a sitting duck.

"Hah, why'd that dummkopf have to send me over here?" Hipper sighed as she had quickly formed a shield around Edinburgh.

"Oh my, Milord is really focusing a lot of his forces over here…" Illustrious said as she noticed that even more opponents have appeared.

"It's because _Herr Kommandant_ was insistent on defeating the enemy carriers as quickly as possible Hipper."

"Hah!? I already knew that, Spee you didn't need to tell me that!"

"Perhaps Shikikan just had a lot of faith in that you'd be able to handle this?" Helena chimed in.

"Hhmph, as if hearing that would make me happy." Hipper huffed as she crossed her arms and looked away, hiding her blush.

"Thank you for the help, Miss Hipper." Belfast smiled.

"I didn't do it because I wanted your thanks. Let's just hurry and win this already!" The tsundere said as she turned around to face Illustrious without knowing that she was grinning.

"Agreed tsun-Miss." Sheffield rephrased before all six of them teamed up on Illustrious.

"I…I might be in trouble here…" Illustrious said nervously.

Back over with Hornet, the carrier was currently struggling to deal with her opponents who all are more than capable of shooting down her planes. 'Tsk, Lusty's got six of them now, so I got no excuse!' Hornet motivated herself before firing multiple planes high up and had them bombard the entire area in front of her, forcing Cleveland, Sandy, and Z46 to scatter.

'Sweet, that worked! Now I've got some distance to follow up!' Hornet cheered as she readied another airstrike, until…..

"I'll do my best. Ey." A voice said before Hornet felt someone latch onto her from behind.

"Wha—Eldr-zzaaaaahhhh!?" Hornet screamed before being electrocuted by Eldridge.

_Eldridge's sneak attack was super effective nya! Hornet is no longer able to continue nya!_

"Nice timing Eldridge!" Cleveland cheered as she patted the destroyer's head. "I do kind of feel bad for Hornet though ahaha…" She added as she looked to the downed carrier.

"Heyyy Hornet you aliveeee?" San Diego asked playfully as she poked her cheek.

"Urghhh…yeah but I don't really feel like moving hehe." Hornet joked.

"Understandable. You've fought numerous times today and proved yourself to be a brave warrior of the Eagle Union." Z46 smiled softly.

"Hehe, thanks, let's do this again sometime! I'll be sure to win next time!" Hornet grinned before hearing another voice in the distance.

"Good work Hornet!" Vestal said as she dropped down with a repair kit next to her.

"Thanks Vestal!" Hornet smiled as she flipped over to her back. 'Hmm, I wonder how Lusty and Enty-nee are doing..' She thought before hearing Akashi's voice.

"_Looks like Illustrious is not too far away from facing defeat as well nya!"_

'She might be right about that…' Illustrious thought as she was panting heavily, currently surrounded with her planes and dress looking worse for wear.

"Altogether now everyone!" Belfast said before she, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Helena, Graf Spee, and Hipper all fired their cannons at once at Illustrious who had no other choice but to put her arms up.

"Kyaaa!" She yelled as all the projectiles landed in front of her and sent her on her back.

"_Illustrious is no longer able to continue." Announced Shiranui. _

"It would seem we all had the same thoughts on not firing directly at Miss Illustrious." Belfast smiled.

"_Herr Kommandant_ did say not to go to overboard since this is still just an exercise." Spee replied.

"Hmph, well at last that _dummkopf_ knows how to treat a lady properly." Hipper said turning her back and smiling a bit.

'She'd get along well with Nelson and Crescent….' Sheffield thought.

"Miss Illustrious are you alright?" Edinburgh asked offering the carrier a hand.

"I believe so, thanks to everyone's mercy ehe." Illustrious smiled as she took her hand up.

"Certainly Master." Belfast said before handing a radio over to Illustrious. "Master wishes to speak with you, Miss Illustrious."

"Thank you, Belfast." She said as she took the radio. "Good day Milord. Brilliant work today!"

"Thanks, Illustrious, but are you alright though?"

"Yes, a bit fatigued but no real injuries. I'd gladly follow any commands you would have for me Milord."

"_Glad to hear, but I'm still going to have to ask you to rest there until Vestal comes to check on you just in case. I'd hate to see you hurt and I'm not willing to take any chances." _

[Affinity up!]

"Oh my, hearing such kind words from Milord is truly wonderous." Illustrious blushed a bit.

"Eheh, well anyway that will be it for now. Great work today Illustrious. Could I ask you to return the radio to Belfast please?"

"But of course, Milord, but could request some of your time later over some tea? We've yet to have a decent conversation after all."

"I'd love to" Shikikan replied happily earning a blushing smile from the gorgeous carrier as she handed the radio over.

After a few more minutes have passed, "Understood Master, I shall inform those involved immediately." Belfast confirmed.

"Sheffield, please inform the others including Miss Hornet that we will be moving straight into the last phase." Belfast requested, earning a nod from the cruiser as she left with Edinburgh deciding to tag along.

"Last phase?" Illustrious inquired.

"Yes, Master plans to bring this exercise to a rather explosive end." Smiled Belfast.

[With Wales and KGV]

"Huff…..she looks like she's barely broken a sweat…." A tired out Hyuuga remarked.

"Either that or we're still worn out as heck from our fights earlier..." Ise retorted in between breaths.

"Just as one would expect from the one deemed 'knight commander' of the Royal Navy." Takao said as she was currently in a duel with King George V.

"I'm pleased to have the opportunity to test my abilities against the famed swordsmanship of the Sakura Empire. Come!" KGV smiled as she and Takao fought, sending out waves of water out from around them as their swords clashed at insanely high speeds.

"Takao-chan looks like she's having a lot of fun ufufu." Atago giggled as she watched. "Now I wonder how-" She started before looking over to what was happening in the other fight going on nearby.

" .. Now you're in range!" "Anton, Bruno, Caesar, all cannons ready! Fire!" Gneisenau and Scharnhorst declared as they fired at Wales.

'Relentless coordinated attacks from mid and long range. Interesting!' Wales monologued as she dodged gracefully before firing back.

"Wales, don't tell me that you've forgotten all about me?" Eugen giggled as she blasted at Wales from behind. Unable to dodge, Wales was only able to slice through some of the shots, takin some to her sides.

"Tsk, I'll be honest, I can never tell what you're thinking Eugen." Wales smirked as she returned fire.

"It seems that applies for the both of us." Eugen smirked back as she formed shields that barely lasted long enough to withstand the impact from Wales' cannons.

"Seems like the fight you had against Shikikan earlier weakened you quite a bit. I don't remember your shields being so…delicate." Wales grinned, succeeding to annoy Eugen this time.

"Delicate you say? I dare you to say it again after this!" Eugen challenged as she sent both her riggings out to attack Wales.

Slashing one away and dropkicking the other, Wales barely managed to react in time before realizing that Eugen had her trapped around her rigging as she sent torpedoes flying directly at her with Scharnhorst and Gneisenau sending in another combined volley.

Wales resigned herself to her fate, but not before grinning deviously at Eugen. "I won't be alone in the infirmary! You're coming with me Eugen!" She declared before firing relentlessly at an unsuspecting Eugen before both were engulfed in explosions.

"_Nya! In a last-ditch effort, Prince of Wales managed to take Eugen down with her nya!" _

"I can't believe you'd do something this insane. Are you sure you're a member of the Royal family?" A battered Eugen frowned as she was collapsed onto the water.

"Heh, I ask myself the same question every now and then." Wales laughed her off.

"…You might get along well with her Scharnhorst…" Gneisenau deadpanned.

"Hmm? What makes you say that?" Scharnhorst replied, unknowing as to why her sister was now sighing.

[Back to vs KGV]

"As easygoing as ever…but good job on taking one down Wales." King George V said as she glanced over to her sister before turning back to face her opponents.

"Sorry Takao-chan, but we really need to hurry."

"It's fine, Shikikan's plan all depended on one swift step after the other…"

"Hmm? Might I ask you to enlighten me as to what you are talking about?" KGV jokingly requested.

"Sorry, but no can do. I've had a blast today thanks to Shikikan and this last part will top it all off haha!" Ise laughed.

"Oi! Baka-nee!" Hyuuga yelled.

"Huh? Oh whoops haha…ha…" Ise said realizing she messed up.

"Last part?" KGV started as she tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Tsk, Onee-san will scold you later for this Ise, but for now: All at once everyone! Advance!" Atago commanded.

"Be as still as water" Takao breathed before dashing at high speeds and slashing relentlessly at KGV. Not far behind her was Atago who feinted a sideward swipe and opted for a heel kick instead, taking the knight commander by surprise and forcing her backwards as she tried blocking with her open arm.

"Super dreadnought class battleship—full salvo!" "Twelve main guns — full salvo!" The two battleships yelled as their cannons roared and fired a bullet storm at KVV, who had no choice but put up her guard and hold steadfast as she took the brunt of the combined salvos.

"Hmph, how interesting." KGV smiled as she returned fire at the two battleships.

"Not yet!" Atago declared before firing an onslaught of torpedoes and cannon fire at her, effectively blinding KGV from the explosions around her.

"I shan't falter!" Takao yelled as she followed up and dashed right through the thick of it and slashed upwards with all her strength, catching KGV off guard and sending her sword flying out of her hand.

"Brilliantly done! I shall admit my defeat in this battle." KGV said as she put her hands up and closed her eyes with a satisfied smile gracing her flawless visage.

'_The last of the Royal Navy, King George V, has also fallen nya!" _

"Phew, just in time too." Atago said as she saw Shikikan's cruiser fire a flare high up.

"A flare? What meaning does it have?"

"You can go ahead and tell her now Ise-neesan." Hyuuga elbowed.

[With Ning Hai and Ping Hai]

"Oh no we took too long!" Javelin cried out when she saw the flare.

"Verdammt! My apologies _Herr Kommandant_!"Z23 cussed as she kept firing relentlessly at the evasive Dragon Empery girls.

"So slow!" A voice yelled from behind the Hai sisters, revealing herself to be Deutschland.

"My slave was worried about you four, so he begged me to go out and save you all hahaha!" She laughed haughtily before turning her gaze to the Hai sisters. "You now face the great Deutschland! Tremb-oof!" She was brought to a halt as the Hai sisters opened fire mid-sentence.

"Was it okay to interrupt her?" Ping Hai asked.

"She stated her name, so I just assumed, but it is a battle so it's not like surprise attacks are against the rules…" Ning Hai sweat dropped.

"Hey! Don't you know that it's rude to interrupt someone mid-sentence?" A damaged Deutschland yelled before a devious grin took over. "As punishment take this! Cruel and lovely…ahaha!" She cackled before blasting a huge barrage wave at the Hai sisters, forcing them to split up and jump up high and away to dodge it.

"Go Laffey! Ayanami!" Z23 and Javelin cheered as the aforementioned two jumped up at the two separated sisters still stuck mid high jump and grabbed their ribbons.

_Nya! I can barely keep up nya! Now the only two members of the Dragon Empery, Ning Hai and Ping Hai, have both lost their ribbons nya!" _

"Great work you two! Let's hurry to the final part!" Javelin commended before swiftly dashing away.

"Sorry for leaving you two here yourselves, but Vestal will be coming around soon to check up on you both and Deutschland too I believe. So please sit tight!" Z23 bowed before she, Ayanami, and Laffey chased after Javelin.

"What just happened _jiejie_?"

"I-I don't know." Ning Hai replied as they both watched the girls sail away.

"Hhmph, you two don't get it? Well I'm in a good mood today so I'll-HEY LISTEN TO SOMEONE WHEN THEY ARE TALKING TO YOU!" Deutschland yelled as she noticed mid rant that the Hai sisters ran off after the starter squad.

"Ping Hai where are you going!? Z23 asked us to stay and wait for Vestal." Ning Hai yelled.

"But I'm not injured or tired? And I'm curious! Aren't you too _jiejie_?" Ping Hai asked with a tilted head.

"Grr…, okay fine let's go!"

Not too far behind was Deutschland who was screaming "Stop ignoring me and come back here!" at the top of her lungs.

[With Enterprise and Saratoga]

"Hmm? A flare?" Saratoga asked.

"You left your guard down" Shoukaku sung as she had her fighters fire at the carrier.

"Waa! Oh no you don't!" Saratoga said before firing her own fighters, planning to force another dogfight, but another set of fighters came from left field and intercepted Saratoga's.

"Unicorn will do her best!" She cried out as she sent torpedo bombers at Saratoga.

"Sister Sara won't lose that easily!" She sung as she started the rest of her planes out to counter.

"Sara, behind you!" Enterprise yelled.

"H—waaa!?" Was all Saratoga could yell before she got hit by a flurry of dive bombers and torpedo bombers from behind.

"_This is all happening too fast for me nya! Saratoga has been defeated nya!" _

"Great work Shouhou-chan!" Shoukaku praised.

"Ehehe, I'm blessed by the God of Fortune and Shikikan, so success is guaranteed!" Shouhou smiled happily.

"Drat I didn't expect a _triple_ sneak attack! Sorry for leaving you by yourself Enterprise." Saratoga pouted.

"Don't sweat it Sara." Enterprise said trying to cheer up her long time friend.

"Looks like its just you Grey Ghost!" Zuikaku grinned as she launched her fighters.

"So it would seem." Enterprise smiled as she replied coolly as she shot down Zuikaku's planes.

"Zuikaku, I'm free now so I've got you covered!"

"Sounds good to me! Thanks, Shoukaku-nee!" She grinned before charging at Enterprise.

"2v1? Interesting…!" Enterprise said as she fired her bow at Zuikaku, who easily swiped it away and closed the distance, forcing Enterprise backwards bit by bit.

"You're mine!" Zuikaku declared before being pulled back by Shoukaku's arm.

"S-shoukaku-nee? I thought you said I could go all out!" She complained.

"_Gomenaisai_ Zuikaku, as much I enjoyed seeing you have fun, Enterprise is already where Shikikan wants her."

"…What?" Enterprise went wide-eyed as she looked around and finally noticed that Shikikan's entire fleet was positioned in an encirclement formation around her. "So that flare was…"

"Correct Miss Enterprise. The flare was an attack order for everyone to gather into this formation around you." Belfast said as she finished her sentence for her. "Best of luck to you Miss Enterprise." She added before aiming her main guns at her.

"All units: fire at will!" Shikikan commanded as the entire sky above and area around Enterprise was darkened with cannon shells, torpedo shells, and airplanes.

"Owari Da!" Enterprise yelled before she was engulfed in a sea of explosions.

"D-did we do it?" Z23 asked.

"That's a death flag Nimi…_des_." Ayanami replied.

Almost immediately after Z23 had asked, in the center of the explosions stood a lone figure, seemingly glowing and not harmed whatsoever.

"HAH!? What kind of overpowered ability is that!?" Hipper called foul as she saw Enterprise standing unharmed with her bow drawn.

"I told ya my sister was awesome." Hornet grinned as she sat next to Vestal Shikikan's cruiser.

"Yeah, you weren't kidding…" Shikikan replied, seemingly in awe.

"Looks like it's my win, Shikikan." Enterprise smiled before firing a large light arrow upwards, which in turn transformed into a swarm of fighter and bombers that all began to fly directly towards everyone around her.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that just yet." The Shikikan replied calmly right before taking a deep breath and accidentally alliterating "Anti-air armada, advance!"

As soon as he said that, San Diego, Z46, and Cleveland jumped up and began going to work, swiftly shooting down plane after plane alongside everyone else contributing support to the AA pros.

"That won't be enough Shikikan!" Enterprise said confidently, but not before noticing Eldridge standing in front of Shikikan's cruiser looking up at her with her arms held up.

"Operation Rainbowwww…." She said before everyone in the formation also began to glow colorfully.

"Wha-what is this!?" Edinburgh said as she tried dusting off the colorful aura around her. "Ahh that bomb's coming right at me!" She said as she cowered in fear.

"Don't worry, it won't hit thanks to Eldridge's power." Helena said calmly as the bomb falling right on Edinburgh immediately jutted outwards and ended up landing a safe distance away.

"Wha-?" Enterprise exclaimed as she stopped glowing and saw all her bombers and fighters missing completely.

"Now's your chance everyone go!" Shikikan yelled as Javelin, Z23, Laffey, and Ayanami lunged up at Enterprise. Ayanami opted to attack from up front, forcing Enterprise to block her blade with her bow, while Javelin snuck in from behind and tried following up with a downward slash with her javelin. Enterprise reacted immediately as she took one hand off her bow and placed an arm up to catch the handle of the polearm and succeeded in catching it. However, Javelin had let go of her javelin pushed herself away from it as she and Ayanami moved away and launching their torpedoes almost point blank with Z23 and Laffey following up with cannon fire. Wide-eyed, Enterprise had no choice but to shield herself. Upon impact, all five of them fell onto the ocean surface.

Enterprise was the first to recover as she quickly tried to get up….but

"I believe this is check and mate Miss Enterprise." Belfast announced as she had a small torpedo to the back of her head and Takao and Atago having their blades pointed down at her.

"Heh. You were right Shikikan." Enterprise chuckled before dropping her bow and putting her hands up. "I give."

"_NYAAAAAAA! Even the legendary Grey Ghost herself has been defeated_ _nyaaa!" _

"_And with that, the winner of this exercise is Shikikan's team. Congratulations on the hard-fought win Shikikan." _

"_Nya!? No fair, you stole the best line Nui Nui!"_

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**Phew! 16+ words!? Wow! **

**Apologizes for the extended delay on this chapter everyone, this quarantine had me want to tackle my backlog of games and anime and that ended up absorbing all of my time and attention haha.**

**Please favorite, follow, and comment if you like the story thus far!**

**And I'll see y'all next time on Azur Lane fanfic: An Unsung Legend Ch.11: Love, Chaos, and Challenges Await! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Love, Chaos, and Challenges Await!**

**Hello everyone! I'm finally back! Thanks again for all of the support! I have a lot of notices I wanted to announce, but I've left everyone waiting for far too long, so I'll save it for the end of this chapter. That said, please enjoy and see you at the end!**

* * *

"**If you wanna climb a mountain, you obviously aim for the top, but you gotta enjoy the scenery too." Teppei Kiyoshi, Kuroko No Basket**

* * *

"Phew…." Shikikan sighed in relief after hearing Shiranui confirm his victory.

Upon hearing multiple voices call out to him, he was tackled to the ground by Javelin, Laffey, Ayanami, and even Z23.

"We did it Commander!" Javelin cheered happily.

"All thanks to everyone's hard work, great work." He smiled as he patted the four destroyers' heads as they were lying on top of his toppled self.

'_Herr Kommandant praised me hehe_….' Z23 happily hummed in her head before realizing that she let herself get caught up in the moment and was in a rather saucy position. "_E-e-entschuldigung herr kommandant_!" She stuttered as she quickly got off of him.

"Commander feels so warmmmmm…...Laffey shutting down….zzzzz..…." She said as she snuggled into his chest and began snoring.

"Come on Laffey! Let him get up!" Z23 said as she began tugging the bunny girl.

"Nimi's right, the ship deck would be uncomfortable for Shikikan _des_." Ayanami agreed as she helped Z23 bring up a reluctant Laffey and Javelin.

"Thanks, you two. But to be honest if I didn't have work to do after this, I wouldn't have minded just taking a nap here. The weather and ocean breeze are pretty soothing today after all." He thought aloud.

"And thank you for your help today, MVP." He said as he looked over to Yuubari. "Your inventions really saved us today." He added as he walked over to head pat the cruiser.

"D-does that mean...!?" She asked, eyes filled with hope and excitement.

"Yep! Like I promised beforehand, I'll see to it that you are comfortably settled into the research lab with space for a personal workshop."

"_Arigato_ _Goshujin_!" She exclaimed as she jumped up to hug him with hearts practically overflowing out of her head.

"Umm, Onii-chan?" Unicorn asked shyly as she tugged on his sleeve. "What about Unicorn?"

Putting Yuubari down and turning around, he bent a knee to meet the adorable carrier at eye level. "Of course, you did great too Unicorn. We couldn't have won without you." He smiled as he patted her head with his free hand.

"Hehe…" Unicorn hummed happily as she openly enjoyed his touch before he walked over to the bow of his ship to address the rest of the kansen.

"Great work today everyone! I hope you've all learned something from today that you can use to help grow stronger. But for now, seeing how it's almost time for lunch, let's head on back to base. Feel free to come aboard my ship instead of making the long haul back yourselves." He suggested before everyone hopped aboard his ship and began sailing back towards base together.

"Commander, did you thoroughly enjoy the battle?" King George V asked as she, Wales, Illustrious, and Belfast walked up to him as he was seemingly lost in thought on the bow of the ship.

"I did but it does feel a bit strange fighting from the sidelines like I did…" He turned around and smiled as he rubbed his head awkwardly.

"Understandably so, but that's just how the role of commander goes. We can't have you on the frontlines alongside us after all." KGV reasoned.

"Yeah, I'd hate to be a dead weight like that." He chuckled. "But speaking of the role of commander, was I able to meet the Royal Navy's expectations?"

"With flying colors Milord!" Illustrious happily exclaimed as everyone else smiled and nodded in agreement instantaneously.

"It is as Miss Illustrious says, Master. I would be honored to report nothing but good news to Her Majesty later." Belfast added

"But I must say, I did not expect you to be so devious. To think the announcement of your team members served as a ploy to lower our guards. Following up with relentless and swift strikes as you built up your fleet power to finally overwhelming the rest of us at the end…. I must say, I'm quite impressed." Wales smirked.

"Heh, thanks Wales. I figured that the best way to impress and gain everyone's trust was to turn that overwhelming disadvantage around." He replied shyly, earning satisfied smiles from the four beauties surrounding him.

"And a fine job you did at that Commander." She smiled. "But I am curious as to how you came up with those strategies. Perhaps I could pick your brain a bit over some tea later?"

"Hmm? Trying to stake a claim with _Herr Kommandant_, Wales?" A playful voice asked, revealing herself to be none other than Prinz Eugen as she was walking up to the group and made eye contact with said battleship.

With a calm and playful expression, Wales walked up to the heavy cruiser until she was only a few inches away. "Heh, perhaps, but is that jealousy I'm sensing Eugen?"

"But of course, how could you be so cruel as to try and take away by dear _Kommandant_ away?" She feigned innocence and fake tears.

Shikikan couldn't help but blush after hearing Eugen's bold words, but before he could even think of a way to respond…

"Just kidding _Herr Kommandant_. Did that make your heart skip a beat?" She smirked, darkening his already pretty red flush.

"Aww Milord, you're blushing so heavily, almost like a little kid. How cute hehe." Illustrious commented as she patted his head playfully as everyone giggled at his flustered expression.

'How'd this even happen? I went from just chatting to being teased…' He thought before he felt someone tug on his arm, pulling him away from the group of five Kansen surrounding him.

"_Daijoubu_ Shikikan, Onee-san will protect you from these bullies. Come follow me and rest your head on my bosom. I'm sure you must be tired from doing such a good job today." Atago happily suggested as she tugged him along.

"Allow me to come with and play a melody for you as congratulations Shikikan." Shoukaku offered before taking his other arm and the both of them tugging Shikikan towards the inside of the ship.

"It would appear that the Sakura Empire has laid their claim first." KGV chuckled as she watched him get dragged away.

"Looks like you missed your chance Wales." Eugen said, as playful as ever.

"Hardly so, we're in view of the base after all, and I'd doubt he's the type of person to pick favorites."

"We'll see about that." Eugen grinned deviously as she had a finger on her lips and walked over to where Shikikan was dragged towards.

"To be honest, I never know what you are thinking Eugen." Wales sighed as she saw her saunter off.

"Perhaps I should go check on Master. Please excuse me ladies." Belfast pardoned herself.

"Allow me to accompany you Belfast, I'm curious to see what's become of Milord." Illustrious giggled as the two made their way towards Shikikan.

"Looks like Commander has his fair share of troubles." Enterprise remarked as she looked on from afar.

"Ahaha….I'm not sure if I should go check on him or not…" Cleveland sweat dropped.

"Well since neither of you are going, I will since this sounds like fun hehe." She grinned before heading off.

"….Fine I'll bite." Enterprise sighed as she succumbed to her sister's whims and her own curiosity.

Ten minutes later and inside the lounge area of the cruiser, Shikikan could be found melting into a large satellite chair as Atago expertly massaged his shoulders and Shoukaku played a soothing melody on her flute.

"How do you like Onee-san's techniques Shikikan? Not that I can't guess from your expression right now of course." Atago knowingly asked as she saw his blissful expression.

"Feels like heavennnnn..." He moaned as he felt himself turning into putty. "But I do feel a bit guilty since you girls did so much more work than me today." He laughed awkwardly.

"What a nice Shikikan, but if you really do feel that way, how about rewarding us with a massage of our own later?" Shoukaku paused her flute playing and suggested.

"Sounds good, just let me know when you're finished Atago and I'll switch over." He replied nonchalantly, surprising the two beauties for a second.

"Ara, Onee-san's looking forward to your message, but for right now just relax your shoulders and let me pamper you." She gently whispered into his ear, almost succeeding in sending him into a peaceful trance…._almost_.

"Looks like I should've made a bet with Wales after all." A playful voice said. Looking up, Shikikan, Atago, and Shoukaku noticed that they had a small audience standing in the doorway.

"Apologies for disrupting your pleasant time Master, but we will be arriving shortly." Belfast informed kindly all while not so secretly enjoying Shikikan's darkening blush.

"Aw, I was looking forward to your massage Shikikan." Shoukaku pouted playfully.

"S-sorry about that Shoukaku, but we can continue in my office after hours if you'd like." He suggested before realizing that what he just said could be taken out of context.

"How scandalous you sound right now _Herr Kommandant._" Eugen remarked as she thought the same, flustering the poor Shikikan further. "But if you're offering them massages, then it's only fair that I get one too right? Unless you're playing favorites of course…" She smirked.

"My, I wouldn't dare to think Milord would do something so unprofessional!" Illustrious gasped playfully before looking back at him. "What she says couldn't possibly be true, right Milord?" She looked at him with playful puppy eyes.

"Ara ara, are Shoukaku and Onee-san your favorites? Onee-san's so happy to know you love her so much!" Atago giggled as she hugged him tightly from behind.

"I'm surprised and flattered Shikikan, we've only just met, and you've already deemed me as one of your favorites. Please do treat me well and give Zuikaku some special treatment as well." She bowed, her mischievous side showing clear as day.

"Oi Atago! Shoukaku!" Shikikan tried to protest.

"It would really suck for HQ to find out about this don't you think Commander?" Hornet jokingly asked before she smiled smugly at him. "Butttt, I promise not to say anything if I get one too!"

"Allow me to offer my assistance in scheduling everyone's appointments with your ministrations after hours than Master." Belfast offered before turning over to face Enterprise. "Should I schedule a time slot for you as well, Miss Enterprise?"

"N-no tha-".

"Don't be shy Enty-nee! I overheard Vestal saying how your shoulders felt so stiff a few days ago, so here's your chance!" Hornet nudged.

Enterprise couldn't retort as Hornet's words reigned true as she felt the heavy knots in her shoulders. "F-fine…., but only as long as you don't mind Commander." She mumbled as she looked to the side as she couldn't seem to face him.

With multiple expecting eyes staring holes into him from all sides, the Shikikan gave in to their whims, "O-okay fine! Everyone's welcome to come to my office for a massage, but only after hours starting tomorrow!" He sighed in defeat, before a small smile creeped up on his face.

'This should double as a chance to get to know everyone a bit better after all…' He wholesomely reasoned in his mind before Eugen spoke once more.

"Hehe, I'm so glad we could come to an agreement _Herr Kommandant_, butttt...you still haven't answered who's your favorite so far." Eugen grinned.

"It's obviously Onee-san, right Shikikan?" Atago spoke gently into his ear as she hugged him even tighter.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that Atago, considering how not even five minutes into our meeting yesterday, Shikikan was already complimenting me about how mesmerizing my eyes were and how badly he wanted to listen to me play my flute. Isn't that right Shikikan?" Shoukaku boldly spoke as she fluttered her eyes at him.

"Ara ara, but Shikikan's been melting into his chair from my massage and embrace all this time. Surely he's been too at peace to have even noticed your flute playing Shoukaku." Atago giggled ominously as she stood her ground, causing sparks to fly between the two Sakura Empire beauties as they both stood up and stared intently at each other. Although they were still calmly smiling, their auras said otherwise.

Noticing that tensions were rising as the two continued arguing and everyone's eyes were on them, Shikikan tried to make a break for it as he tiptoed away….well…, at least was about to.

"Where do you think you're going Shikikan?" Atago asked, her keen eyesight much to aware of his subtle movement.

"You're the only one who can settle this, Shikikan, so please, tell us, which of us is your favorite?" Shoukaku requested with amused eyes.

"Has it come across either of your minds that maybe _Herr Kommandant_'s favorite is neither of you?" Eugen questioned, earning the quiet ire of both Sakura girls. "Come _Herr Kommandant_, let's take a break and go have a drink, or ten." Eugen purred as she pulled his arm to her chest. "After that, you can tell me all about why I'm your favorite." She winked.

Quiet ire turning into seething rage, the two Sakura beauties were about to protest before another voice chimed in.

"Pardon me Miss Prinz Eugen, but as his maid, I cannot standby and allow Master to fall behind in his duties." Belfast spoke as she walked right up to her.

"Ho? I'm pretty sure _Herr Kommandant_'s earned his rest and would much rather spend some time relaxing with me than being worked to death by you, Miss Head Maid." Eugen said as she let go of Shikikan and challenged a steadfast Belfast. While she showed showed zero emotions, a palpable tension could be felt rising in the air as Belfast stood her ground.

"It would seem things are getting a bit….touch and go, so to speak." Illustrious sweat dropped as she stood next to Enterprise and Hornet watching the chaos before them unfold.

"I think Commander might need some saving Enty-nee…" Hornet laughed awkwardly.

"I don't think anything I say will stop them…." Enterprise replied as she saw Shikikan backing away a bit more. 'If only Brooklyn was able to come here with us…' She thought.

"Shikikan!"/ "_Herr Kommandant"/ _"Master" They all said as they all turned and stared right at him, forcing him to stop dead in his tracks.

'Good luck Commander, I'll be rooting for you from here…' Hornet saluted him as she stood quietly off to the side.

'….Gee thanks Hornet, but I really can't blame you for not wanting to get involved in this...' Shikikan deadpanned as he somehow managed to figure out what Hornet was implying.

"Shikikan, which of us do you prefer?" Atago and Shoukaku asked.

"_Herr Kommandant_, would you rather relax with me or go straight to work with Miss Head Maid here?" Eugen asked as she and Belfast looked at him with expecting eyes.

'Crap….There's definitely got to be a better way out of this than just making a break for it….'

As if fate heard his plea, a new voice behind him spoke.

"_Herr Kommandant_, we've arrived at….base?" Z23 had appeared to inform him but stopped as she saw the girls surrounding him and felt the palpable tension in the room.

'Perfect timing!'

"Oh! Thank you Nimi! I was just thinking we shouldn't be too far away. Say, about being my secretary ship, how about we have you start after lunch today? Let's walk back together so I can get you up to date on what needs to be done today." He said as he quickly made his escape from the group with Z23 in tow.

"Tsk, he got away." Shoukaku pouted.

"Gotta say, he's pretty quick witted and light on his feet..." Hornet joked.

"You've only gotten away for now _Herr Kommandant _hehe." Eugen chuckled.

"Ara, it would seem Shikikan's much more popular than I thought." Atago surmised as she looked around at her 'rivals'.

"Milord does have a lot of promising qualities after all." Illustrious giggled.

"Smart, kind, great cook, down to earth, easy on the eyes..." Hornet said as she counted his good traits on her fingers, "He'd be the perfect husband, don't you think Enty-nee?"

"D-don't throw me into this Hornet…." Enterprise sighed. "But if I had to be honest, yeah, he would." She added, all but with a seemingly unnoticeable blush.

"Hmm? So even the Grey Ghost herself has her eyes on _Herr Kommandant_?" Eugen grinned.

"A word of warning if I may, Miss Enterprise." Belfast spoke. "This type of battlefield will be quite different from the ones we've faced in the past so do pay heed as none of the ladies here seem to intend to pull any punches."

"N-not you too Belfast….Hornet's already more than I can handle right now…" Enterprise sighed at being caught up in everyone's antics.

"Oh my, Belfast, does that mean you're including yourself into this scuffle?" Illustrious asked.

"it is but the duty of a maid to do everything she can for her Master. And as such, I will not falter." Belfast replied boldly as she smiled and curtsied.

"Oh my….., and here I was going to request some tea time with Milord, but it seems that might prove rather difficult."

After a few seconds of silent staring at their 'rivals' had come to pass, Belfast decided to be the first to speak.

"Well then, allow me to wish best of luck to all of the ladies here. While all's fair in love and war, let us agree to not trouble Master and impede him of his duties." She requested, earning silent nods from everyone.

'Well….not _too _much trouble at least…' Was a common thought among some of them as they all decided to head on outside.

[With Shikikan and Z23]

"Phew….You're a lifesaver Nimi…" Shikikan sighed in relief as he made his way out with the perplexed destroyer.

"_Bitte_ _Herr Kommandant_, but…wait…did you just call me Nimi?"

"? Oh sorry, I guess I just said it in the spur of the moment. Sorry ab-"

"N-no don't be! I was j-just surprised is all. I d-don't mind you calling me that _Herr Kommandant_." Z23 interjected with a heavy blush.

"Thanks Nimi." He head patted the adorable destroyer, much to her chagrin as she felt him treating her like a child again, but strangely enough, she didn't seem to mind as much now.

"Oh! There you are Commander!" San Diego called out as she and the rest of the Eagle Union girls approached him and Z23.

"Commander, cake please!" Eldridge requested as she hugged him at his hips and stared upwards at him adorably.

Patting her head, he knelt down to meet with her at eye level. "A promise is a promise. What type of cake would you like Eldridge?"

As she was deep in thought with the very important decision to make, her ahoge swayed back and forth. After a few more seconds had passed, her ahoge shook straight up like an exclamation point with tiny little sparks coming out.

"Chocolate cake!" She requested with stars in her eyes.

"Sure thing Eldridge." He chuckled as he saw her practically bouncing with joy.

"Ooh! That sounds great right about now! Commander! Let me have some too please! Pretty please with a cherry on top? On the cake too please hehe!" San Diego begged as she drooled.

"Hmm…well let's have Eldridge decide since it's her cake after all." He suggested before turning back to face Eldridge. "What do you think Eldridge?"

With another super serious and important question brought to her, she had to think critically before making up her mind. "Let's share, but Eldridge wants the biggest slice!"

"Yay! Thank you, Eldridge!" San Diego exclaimed as she bear hugged the destroyer.

"Sister Sara love you a lot!" Saratoga added as she joined in the group hug.

"Do eat in moderation everyone, unless you really want a tummy ache." Vestal warned.

"Okayyyy" The three replied.

"Hey Commander, can I come watch you make it? I've always wanted to see a professional at work hehe." Cleveland grinned.

"Me too please, I think I'd get a lot better at baking if I watched you." Helena requested.

"Sure, but I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a professional ahaha…" He laughed shyly.

"Nah! Those pies and cookies at the party yesterday would've won any baking competition no sweat!" Cleveland reasoned with sincere high praises.

"She's right _Herr Kommandant_. Have more confidence in yourself!" Z23 added.

Before he could respond, another voice spoke out.

"Apologies for the intrusion of your conversation, Commander, but I couldn't help but overhear the words 'cheesecake' and 'baking competition'." Turning around, the group noticed that it was King George V with Wales in tow.

"Not afraid to lose twice in one day, KGV?" Wales taunted jokingly.

"That's not set in stone dear sister." She calmly replied. "So, what do you say Commander? I'd personally love a chance to redeem myself after my defeat in today's battle."

'Hmm…well I don't remember seeing that much paperwork to be done in my office today….plus I'd get to directly participate this time instead of just hanging on the side…." He reasoned in his mind before making up his mind. "Alright, I accept your challenge KGV."

"I'd figured you say that. You did say you would've liked to participate more directly in the battle earlier after all. But do pay heed though Commander, I'm quite proud of my cooking skills, just as much as I am of my skills on the battlefield." She spoke, brimming with confidence and determination.

"I'm looking forward to it, but since this was originally for Eldridge, she should be a judge." Shikikan reasoned.

"Agreed, but I think having a few more judges would make things more interesting."

"Anyone you have in mind, KGV?" He asked.

"No one in particular, but I'd like to make this as fair as possible without any bias in the judging." She mentioned as she seemed deep in thought.

"Pardon my intrusion, but might I suggest a blind taste in that none of the judges will know who made what?" Wales recommended.

"Sounds fair to me. Could I ask for your help in setting up the judges then Wales?" Asked Shikikan.

"I don't mind, but are you sure? I might try and sway the judging in favor of my elder sister." Wales smirked.

"I'm sure. I'm not sure how to explain this, but I just get the feeling that you're someone I can trust wholeheartedly and rely on, Wales." He spoke sincerely as Wales felt her face warming up.

After quickly regaining her composure, Wales replied. "Heh, you're quite the charmer Commander. But in all serious, thank you for trusting me. I promise to not let you down." She said as she felt herself smiling wider than she ever had in a long time.

'She's really pretty when she smiles…' The Shikikan thought as he saw her smiling brightly, only to be brought out of it as another, less…._pure_ thought popped up in his mind.

"I'm glad to hear that, but…if you really do think KGV needs that much of a handicap, then I won't complain." He smirked.

Albeit a bit surprised at his sudden change of character, Wales quickly followed up. "Hehe, perhaps I'll keep that idea in mind as I go plan out the match." Wales laughed light heartedly as she went off.

"W-wait Wales!" KGV surprisingly stuttered before looking back to face the Shikikan. "While I don't enjoy this mockery of me, I can't help but still feel glad to see Wales smile like that. What is this feeling?" She surprisingly pouted, rather adorably in Shikikan's eyes.

"Ahaha, sorry about that KGV, I couldn't help myself there. But if I had to guess, I think it just means you really do care for your sister. And I'm sure Wales appreciates having a wonderful sister such as yourself."

[Affinity up!]

"Thank you Commander, but don't assume that I'll be holding back, especially not after that mockery you put me through!" KGV declared with a light blush before quickly turning around to catch her sister.

'So she does have a cute side like that too.' Shikikan confirmed in his mind as he happily watched KGV speed walk towards Wales.

"They get along pretty well." Cleveland commented. "Good luck on your match Commander! I'll be rooting for you from the side!"

"Thanks Cleveland. By the way, didn't you say you have sisters too?" He asked.

"Yep! They're all either stationed elsewhere or haven't awakened yet so I'm hoping to see them all soon!" The bubbly tomboy cheered.

'Awakened? Does she mean from the wisdom cubes? Hmm….is there a way for me to specifically awaken someone?' He pondered before getting back to Cleveland. "I'd love to meet them too, so let's hope that time's not too far away."

"Yeah! Say, what about you Helena? It's been awhile since you've seen your sister, Honolulu, or everyone else in the Brooklyn class, right?" Cleveland asked.

"I think it's been about half a year since they were all sent to guard the NY City harbors." Helena said with a finger on her chin.

"Oh, I didn't know you had a sister too Helena. What's she like?" Shikikan asked.

"She's…..very _friendly…_" Helena mumbled as she blushed and looked away.

Shikikan was about to ask what she meant before he felt someone tap his shoulder.

"Hey Shikikan, we've arrived at base and I think Shoukaku-nee was looking for you back there." Zuikaku announced as she jutted her thumb behind her.

'Ah crap….' He thought as he broke out in a small cold sweat. "Thanks, Zuikaku, but could you let her know that I'll happily speak with her later after lunch?" He laughed awkwardly before quickly making his way towards Eldridge.

"S-sure?" Zuikaku sweat dropped. "Do either of you know if something happened between them?" She casually asked Cleveland and Helena.

"Ahaha….well..long story short…" Cleveland started as she explained all she knew.

[With Shikikan]

"Hey Eldridge." He said as he knelt down to pat said destroyer on the head. "I'm heading over to the canteen to bake you that cake now, but could I ask for a favor?" He asked as he told her of how KGV challenged him to a competition.

Eldridge's ahoge was now sparkling with excitement as it swayed back and forth after hearing that she gets to eat more cake.

"Oh! I heard a lot from Illustrious about how KGV was well known in the Royal Navy for her cooking skills! Lucky for you to get to taste a cake from her too Eldridge!" Saratoga cheered. "Hey Commander, won't you let your cute little Sara be a judge too?" She looked at him with puppy eyes, her true intentions not so well hidden.

"Sorry, but Wales is in charge of choosing the judges so you're going to have to ask her." He barely finished his sentence before Saratoga and San Diego dashed off to find Wales.

"Well at least they're still full of energy for commissions later…" He remarked before turning back to Eldridge. "Anyway, go ahead and enjoy a nice lunch, and in a few hours, I'll have a chocolate cake fresh out of the oven for you." He said as he coddled the adorably ecstatic destroyer before quickly heading off to the canteen, lest he gets seen by Atago, Shoukaku, Eugen, or Belfast.

"Where's _Herr Kommandant_ running off to in such a hurry?" Spee questioned as she saw him jumping off the cruiser and running off.

"Just what did you and everyone else do to him inside the ship Eugen…?" Gneisenau sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Nothing really." Eugen chuckled.

"Tsk…how dare that servant just run off. Perhaps I should _retrain_ him later ahaha!" Deutschland began to laugh haughtily.

"Deutschland, please don't bother _Herr Kommandant_…" Spee deadpanned.

"Wha!? You're choosing that _untermensch_ over your dear _schwester_!? Did that greedy green haired cat hypnotize you when she was messing with your rigging!?"

"No, I would've noticed if something was off when I was with Akashi…" Spee sighed.

"Hahaha! Looks like you're about to lose your precious Spee to _Herr Kommandant._" Scharnhorst laughed.

"As if I'd let that happen! I'm going to go teach that slave a lesson!" She said as she started to stomp off before being grabbed by Spee's giant mechanical arm.

"Please don't. I don't favor either of you more than the other, but I'd still prefer to not have to see you bully him." Spee sighed.

"F-fine…just put me down Spee…" She requested as she was about five feet off the ground.

"Sometimes I wonder who the big sisters really are in Ironblood." Gneisenau sighed as she looked at the three Ironblood 'big' sisters. Scharnhorst didn't seem to hear as she was too busy laughing at Deutschland, who also didn't hear as she was still trying to convince Spee to let her down.

"Hah? Why are you looking at me when you say that?" Hipper demanded.

"Isn't it obvious Hipper?" Eugen started before wrapping her arms around Hipper's chest. "You still feel like a washboard here ufufu."

"HAH!? Get off me Eugen!" Hipper yelled as she pried herself lose. Now enraged, she pointed at Eugen's rather generous bust. "As if I'd even want such useless mounds of fat weighing me down!"

"Ho? But how will you be able to win _Herr Kommandant's_ heart if yours is so flat and empty ufufu?"

"HAHH!? What does that _dummkopf_ have to do with anything!?" The flustered mess that was Hipper yelled before going off on a tangent with her mischievous 'little' sister.

After the ship docked back at home base, everyone decided to head on back to the canteen for lunch. Since none of them were currently scheduled for any missions, they took their time to relax and enjoy lunch.

A little over an hour later, two distinct scents of melted chocolate wafted through the canteen air.

"W-wow! Something smells awesome!" Hornet exclaimed as she wiped the drool away from her lips.

"I wonder which one's Commander's. What do you think Helena?" Cleveland asked excitedly.

"I can't tell, but they both smell amazing!"

"Hmm? Do you two know something?" Enterprise asked, her curiosity peaked.

Before either could explain, the sound of someone tapping a glass reverberated throughout the canteen.

"May I have everyone's attention please." Wales requested as she gathered everyone's attention to herself as she stood in front of the kitchen doors. "On the behest of many unnamed enthusiastic individuals, I would like to request everyone's cooperation in a blind taste test battle between King George V and the Commander. And if it wasn't already obvious, the theme is chocolate cake."

"That explains a lot…" Enterprise commented as she pieced the puzzle pieces together.

"Let's hurry and get to tasting! The smell of chocolate in here has been testing my very limits!" Javelin blurted out, earning laughs and giggles from everyone in every faction.

"Just to confirm, we are to judge between both dishes and deem which one is to our liking more?" Takao asked.

"Yes, once everyone's tasted both, the Manjuus will hand out a sheet of paper with pictures of both cakes on it. Please choose whichever one you preferred more."

"It won't be anything weird right Wales? Royal Navy isn't particularly well known for its cuisine." Eugen bluntly joked.

"Hogwash. That is just an unfortunate stereotype." A voice revealing herself through the double doors to the kitchen appeared to be none other than King George V herself. "As you will soon find out, Royal Navy cuisine is nothing to scoff at."

"If you say…but alright, I'm game."

"Then without further ado, let the taste test commence!" Wales decreed as multiple Manjuu fluttered out through the double doors with concealed plates. After said plates were brought out and placed in front of all of the kansen, almost as if a single unit, they all lifted the plates at once to reveal the marvel that was underneath.

"WOW!" Was a common phrase among everyone as they stared at the decadent slice of chocolate before them. Each slice revealed two distinct layers of pecan encrusted chocolate cake and was topped with a meticulously crafted white chocolate ribbon that was molded into the shape of a small white crown.

Anticipating nothing short of pure delight, everyone eagerly took their first bites, and within seconds…

"SO GOOD!" San Diego exclaimed as she felt herself ascending to heaven.

"What are these nuts!? They go really well with this chocolate cake and this beer!" A dumbfounded Hyuuga asked as she was quick to take a second bite after chugging her glass of beer.

"The white crown is very cute! It's almost a shame to eat it..._almost_" Illustrious giggled as she bit into said crown.

With nothing but positive comments, the ship girls happily and easily finished off their slices.

"I don't know who made that, but I do know that this is going to be hard to beat!" Hornet sighed in bliss.

"Agreed but let us see for ourselves! Manjuus if you would be so kind." Wales spoke once more before the Manjuus happily repeated the procedure once more.

Once revealed, a short, yet wide round chocolate cake of sorts with multiple raspberries scattered around it was revealed. And on top, a generous scoop of old-fashioned vanilla ice cream and a single mint leaf can be seen.

"While the other cake gave off a rather sophisticated, elegant aura, this one gives off a rather 'down to earth' sense so to speak." Z46 observed before taking her spoon to dig into the chocolate cake, only for her and everyone else to go wide-eyed at what was hidden inside the cake.

"Oh!" Ayanami blurted out as she saw a pool of pure melted hot chocolate fudge flow out of her cake.

Now further enthralled by the cake, everyone eagerly took their first bites and immediately following so…

"S-shoukaku-nee! Is it really okay to feel such bliss?" Zuikaku asked as she felt herself melting, much like the overflowing hot fudge, into pure ecstasy.

"I understand what you mean Zuikaku. Enjoying a warm spoonful of this rich chocolate cake and following up with a taste of the cold creaminess of the vanilla ice cream and the pleasant tartness of the raspberries is truly sinful hehe." Shoukaku said as she had a hand to her cheek in sheer delight.

"A perfect balance between hot chocolate cake and cold vanilla ice cream if I do say so myself." Belfast smiled. "What say you Sheffield?"

"I believe I know which one Master made, but I'll just keep it to myself." Sheffield replied monotonously, albeit with a near invisible blush creeping up on her poker face.

"I can't decide! Both were so good, and I kept wanting more of both!" Z23 said as she and her starter squad friends were visibly struggling to vote.

"Don't feel like you have to guess which one was Milord's, Yamashiro. Just pick whichever one you enjoyed more." Fusou encouraged her sister.

"_Hai Fusou-neesama!_ But this is still really hard…" Yamashiro continued struggling.

"I'm sure neither KGV or Shikikan will feel satisfied with any biased or pity votes, so make sure you vote honestly!" Vestal reminded.

"Who are you voting for Enty-nee? I honestly can't decide." Hornet laughed shyly.

"I'm as lost as you are Hornet." Enterprise replied as she kept tasting both cakes.

After careful consideration and all the votes were put in, the Manjuus took the liberty to tally up the votes and write down the scores on a sheet of paper before folding and handing it to Wales.

"Alright now for the moment we've all been waiting for." Wales started as she unfolded the piece of paper. "And the winner is… with a vote count of 19 to 17…..the 2nd dish: the chocolate lava cake!"

"Wow…I honestly wasn't expecting to win after getting a chance to try your cake KGV." Shikikan said as he and said battleship stepped out from the kitchen with each other's cakes in their hands.

"You think so? Utilizing cold rich vanilla ice cream with a pool of melted hot chocolate fudge you had hidden inside the chocolate cake itself was quite ingenious. As much as I'd hate to admit, I'd happily concede this match until the next one for another slice…haha." KGV lightly blushed as she happily took another bite with hearts fluttering out of her head.

"Same goes for me KGV, if it's not too much to ask, I'd love to learn how you made those pretty white chocolate ribbons!" Shikikan smiled as he appreciated the fine handiwork before him.

"Funny you should ask Commander, I was just about to ask how you made your lava cakes."

"Oh, so basically you want to…" He started as the two happily ate each other's cakes over some tea and shared their culinary secrets at a nearby empty table for just the two of them, much to the surprise and dismay of the others.

"Heh, well played dear sister." Wales smiled.

"Ho? I wasn't expecting her to be the crafty type. Not bad ufufu." Eugen smirked as she too watched from afar.

"Oh, Commander looks like he's on a date." Laffey mumbled before popping open a bottle of oxy-cola and downing it.

"D-don't be ridiculous! T-they're simply…um…. having a friendly chat is all!" Z23 retorted with a heavy blush.

"Y-yeah! That's it! I-it's too soon for a d-date!" Javelin added, also quite flustered.

"It is?" Ayanami asked with honest surprise.

"Ara, even the little ones now are showing their true colors." Atago giggled.

"Mo, you already have me and here you are flirting away with someone else." Shoukaku pouted. "Shall we call for a truce for the time being, Atago?"

"Ara ara, Onee-san was thinking the same thing ufufu." The two giggled, albeit a bit menacingly.

"Don't cause a ruckus and disturb Shikikan, you two." Takao warned.

"Araaa, you're free to stake your claim too you knowwww, Takao-channn ufufu."

"G-get off me Atago! How shameless!" Takao blushed as Atago clung onto her.

"I didn't hear you deny your interest ufufu."

"ATAGO!" Takao yelled, now blushing twice as hard.

"It would seem Master is much more lecherous than he lets on." Sheffield dead panned.

"A bit harsh Sheffy…" Edinburgh sweat-dropped.

"Twas but a joke, Edinburgh." She replied with a perfected poker face.

"I'm sure Her Majesty will be pleased hehe. Wouldn't you agree, Belfast?" Illustrious asked.

"Yes, Miss Illustrious. Perhaps her Majesty's plan for Master will work after all." Belfast giggled, as neither worried about being overheard.

[Over by the Ironblood]

"Hah? Plan?" Hipper scoffed. "What's she on about? Are the Royals trying to puppeteer that _dummkopf _or something?"

"Hahaha! As if I'd give away my new slave to that dwarf queen!" Deutschland cackled.

"In any case, Hipper's assumption is a bit worrisome so let's keep an eye out for now." Gneisenau requested.

"I think Eugen's got different plans…" Scharnhorst spoke.

"Huh? Wait, where'd she go?" Hipper asked as she looked around.

"If you are looking for Fraulein Eugen, she's currently walking towards _Herr Kommandant_." Z46 pointed to said cruiser on her way to Shikikan's table, before being stopped by a knowing Wales.

"Heh, seems like things are about to get even more interesting. Good luck _Herr Kommandant_." Scharnhorst grinned.

[A few minutes ago with Shikikan and KGV]

"And that's pretty much how I learned how to cook."

"Surely you jest." KGV laughed. "To think that by just reading recipe books and watching cooking videos and shows, you were able to achieve this caliber of culinary mastery is quite unprecedented!"

"It's true! Lying in bed all day and doing nothing but sleep was nice at first, but then it got to the point where I had to beg the doctor and nurse for books and videos when there was nothing on TV. Dying of boredom didn't seem too promising to me after all."

Upon hearing this, KGV's expression turned a bit serious for a bit. "Commander, I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds, but just how are you able to move on so well?"

Taking a second to pause and think, he spoke. "…Sometimes it's best to just let the past remain in the past and to just focus on the here and now. And right now, there's nothing I wouldn't do to make sure no one else has to go through what I did." He spoke with a melancholic smile before brightening right back up. "I don't know if I'll ever be 100% better, but what I do know for sure is that even though I've only spent a short amount of time here, I can confidently say that there's no place I'd rather be than with everyone here." He confessed albeit with a slight blush.

{Affinity up!]

Not only was KGV at a loss of words, but she and many other Kansen eavesdropping in felt their hearts simply melt at his kind sincere words.

Finally regaining her ability to speak, KGV smiled. "You truly are an interesting person Commander. Hearing your honest feelings and seeing you happily enjoying my food pleases me." She blushed.

"Heh, I enjoy chatting and eating with you as well KGV." Shikikan blushed as well after hearing himself say it out loud.

"Apologies for interrupting your date Master, King George V, but today's duties have yet to be completed and lunch has well ended." Sheffield announced with a firm, yet slightly noticeable apologetic tone.

Looking at his watch, Shikikan noticed that he had unintentionally spent an extra half hour into his lunch break. "Darn, I really lost track of time. Thank you and sorry for forcing your hand like this Sheffy." He bowed his head apologetically.

"Think nothing of it Master. My duties include making sure you don't slack off after all." Sheffield deadpanned albeit with a ghost of a blush after hearing him call her by her nickname.

"Sorry for having to end our conversation so abruptly KGV, but duty calls."

"It's quite alright Commander. I look forward to doing all of this again." She nodded before seeing him and Sheffield hurry off to the office.

"Tsk…I didn't expect you to stop me Wales." Eugen pouted as she saw Shikikan walk out of the canteen.

"But of course, I couldn't have you ruin their moment." Wales laughed before grinning mischievously at her elder sister. "So KGV, did you have fun on your rendezvous with Commander?"

"Yes, although I would've preferred that it hadn't ended so briefly." KGV smiled with her eyes closed as she elegantly sipped on her tea.

"So, what exactly did Belfast mean when she said something about Queeny's plan for _Herr Kommandant_?" Eugen questioned.

"Who knows?" Wales smiled and shrugged. "Her Majesty was quite steadfast about establishing a Royal Navy presence here after hearing about him."

"Ho? How interesting. Well then, I'll be taking my leave then since I have a few 'errands' to run." She spoke with an air of mischief as she left the canteen.

"She's definitely up to something..." Wales thought aloud as KGV nodded in agreement.

A few hours after the Sun had long since disappeared into the night, the Shikikan could be found still hard at work in his office.

"And that should do it." Shikikan spoke aloud as he signed off the last of the seemingly never-ending pile of paperwork. 'I definitely could've gotten done earlier if I could've just done this digitally, but sadly this computer here is sorely out of date. I wonder if Akashi or Yuubari could help me upgrade …' He pondered before he noticed a cup of tea placed before him.

"That should be the last of the papers. Good work today _Herr Kommandant_!" Z23 smiled as she held the serving board in front of her with both arms rather adorably.

"Thank you the help Nimi." He said as he gratefully took the tea. "Mm, this tea's delicious!"

"Whew…" She sighed in relief. "I'm not as confident in my tea brewing skills as I am with my coffee brewing, but I'd thought it be healthier for you since the coffee might keep you up at night even if I used a decaffeinated one."

"I'm really happy to hear you put that much thought in for me. Thank you, really." He flashed her a kind smile as he looked into her pale purplish-blue eyes before closing his own and further enjoying the tea.

[Affinity up!]

"I-it was nothing _Herr Kommandant_…." She blushed. "You've taken really good care of everyone here, so I just wanted to do the same for you…" She mumbled as she brought up the serving board to hide her embarrassed expression.

Before he could ask what she said, the door to the office swung open.

"I'm back _Herr Kommandant _hehe!" A very noticeably drunk Eugen announced as she stumbled up to his couch and plopped herself down.

"Pardon the intrusion Milord, but the fleet assigned from the transport commission has returned." Illustrious informed as she too stepped in.

"Ah, welcome back you two. Were there any troubles?" He asked as he got up to pour glasses of water for everyone.

"None in terms of enemies, but there was a sense of wariness between everyone throughout the escort." She spoke as she gladly took the glass. "Thank you."

"Please don't tell me that Prinz Eugen riled someone up somehow." Z23 sighed as she looked over at the drunken cruiser.

"How rude, I did a pretty good job restraining myself today." Eugen muttered before pulling out a flask and helping herself.

"I take it you meant in terms of a 'former enemies turned allies working together for a greater cause' kind of thing?"

"Right on the dot Milord." She said with a sad smile.

"As much as I'd hate to admit it, this was to be expected. From what I've heard, Azur Lane and Crimson Axis had been fighting the Sirens independently from each other up until now. In order to win this war, it's going to take a combined effort from everyone." Shikikan reasoned.

"I wholeheartedly agree with you." Illustrious's brilliant smile returned once more. "I'm sure everyone here would agree with me in that Milord will be the one to unify us."

"I share the same thoughts with _Fraulein_ Illustrious _Herr Kommandant_. I'm looking forward to seeing your hard work pay off!" Z23 added.

"Way to pile on the pressure for him Nimi" Eugen teased.

"T-that wasn't my intention!" Z23 stuttered.

"No worries Nimi, I understood what you meant. Thank you." Shikikan smiled as he patted her head.

"Urgh….you're treating me like a kid again _Herr Kommandant_!" While Z23 was pouting, she didn't put in any effort to stop him from continuing, earning a light giggle from Illustrious and a satisfied, knowing smile from Eugen.

"By the way Milord, will you be up for long? I'd love to chat with you some more, perhaps maybe over some fine wine?" Invited Illustrious.

"I'd love to. A glass of wine after hours of paperwork sounds great."

"Splendid! Miss Z23 and Miss Eugen, you two are also welcome to join us as well if you'd like." Illustrious offered.

"_Danke_, but I'm feeling a bit tired." Z23 politely declined before turning to face Shikikan. "Would it be alright if I left for the night _Herr Kommandant_?"

"No need to ask me, Nimi. You've helped me out so much today and I can't thank you enough. Have a nice long rest and I'll see you in the morning."

"_Vielan danke und gute nacht Herr Kommandant_! _Fraulein Illustrious_. " She smiled cheek to cheek hearing his praises before unknowingly skipping off.

"And what about you Miss E-oh she fell asleep." Illustrious paused upon seeing Eugen quietly snoozing."

"I guess I'll carry her back to her room." Shikikan said before walking over to Eugen.

"I shall leave her in your capable hands then Milord. I'll come back here with everything after I've freshen up." Illustrious smiled happily before leaving for the Royal Navy dorms.

"You're not really asleep are you Eugen?" He questioned aloud as he knelt down and shook her shoulder a bit.

"Would you prefer if I was, you naughty _kommandant_?" Eugen smirked mischievously as she stopped feigning her stupor and casually took another swig from her flask. "I have to ask though, how'd you know?"

"I didn't, it was just a shot in the dark." He smiled.

"Hmm, perhaps I should've just kept pretending then." She said with half lidded eyes.

"..Maybe you are drunk after all. Here, have some water." He chuckled as he offered her the glass of water he poured for her earlier.

"_Danke_" She thanked him as she quickly polished off the glass. "You know, back during the war, Nimi rarely ever smiled, well, not like I'm one to talk though." She said before happily drinking more from her flask. "It wasn't until she made friends with those three and meeting you that she started smiling so happily. And for that, _vielen dank_ _Herr Kommandant_, really." She smiled as she sincerely spoke her mind.

"Just how much have you drunken before getting her Eugen? Here, drink some more water and sober up so you don't regret it come morning." He joked as he poured her more water.

"Hmpf, and here I thought I'd be serious and thank you honestly." Eugen pouted cutely as she accepted the glass and took a small sip.

"Heh, you sounded a bit like Hipper for a second there." He egged on, earning a surprised blush from the cruiser.

"I can't believe you'd treat a drunken lady so cruelly, _Herr Kommandant_."

"Sorry about that Eugen, I just thought I'd push my luck and tease you a bit." He chuckled before offering her a hand up. "But since you've finally admitted you're more than a bit tipsy, I'll help you back to your room."

Hearing this, Eugen's smug smile returned once more. "_Nein_, as punishment for bullying me, you have to finish this flask." She said before tackling and pinning him to the ground with the flask shoved right into his face.

"U-um Eugen, this is a bit….." He was at a loss for words. "A-anyway, I'll accept the punishment so let me get up and get a glass for it."

"No way, where's the fun in that. Unless…., are you perhaps….scared of a little 'indirect kiss'?" She grinned widely.

"T-that's beside the point! It would just be really bad if someone sees us looking like this!" He retorted, feeling himself quickly heating up.

"I don't think I believe you." Eugen sung as she leaned in closer as she popped open the flask. "Come on _Herr Kommandant_, be a man and the drinking buddy I know and just drink this."

'She's so drunk! As much as I'd love a drink, I don't want her or anyone else thinking poorly of me for taking advantage of her drunken state and stealing a kiss from her, whether it be 'indirect' or not!'

"_Herr Kommandant_, your face says it all. I'm really not as drunk as you think I am, and I promise that I won't tell anyone about this." She spoke with a surprisingly serious expression. "Unless…you really don't want to share a kiss with me…" She assumed with a somber smile.

"….Thank you for the drink, Eugen." Shikikan said as he swiped the flask from her hand and downed about seven shots worth of hard whiskey in one big gulp."

{Affinity up!]

"Wow, all it takes is a little fake tears to get you up and running." Eugen said as she began to laugh her heart out, a sincerely happy expression plastered on her face.

"W-wait, you were faking?" He asked, unable to tell as he felt his throat burn from the hard liquor.

"Who knows." She replied as she finally calmed down. "But anyway, it's getting late and you have an appointment with Illustrious, so hurry up and carry me back to my dorm." She demanded as she climbed onto his back.

Defeated, the Shikikan gave in, got up, and piggy backed her out the door and to the Iron Blood dorm.

"Aren't you glad you get to have the miracle of the Ironblood Navy hug you right now? I'm sure you're enjoying this as much as I'm enjoying your embarrassed face right now." Eugen teased as she snuggled her face into the back of his head.

"Oi Eugen! Don't move around too much!" He protested as he carefully made his way.

From there, the two enjoyed a comfortable silence as he continued carrying her under the clear starry night sky along the shoreline. Once he was within fifty feet of the Ironblood dorm's entrance, he felt Eugen pinching his cheeks and hopping off.

"I can make it back from here. It be bad if someone saw us and a scandalous rumor stirs up right? Not that I would mind though." She joked as she walked around to stand before him. "Thanks for a fun day today _Herr Kommandant_."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did, Eugen. No more liquor for the rest of the night and straight to bed okay?"

"Fineeee." She said before turning around and making her way back…or at least she started to before turning right back around to face him again.

"Almost forgot, as thanks for the smooth ride all the way here…" She spoke before leaning in and pecking him on the cheek.

"O-oi! E-Eugen!" He blushed wildly.

"_Ich liebe dich_ _Herr Kommandant_. Is this the truth or am I just drunk? I'll leave it to you to figure it out. _Gute nacht_." She giggled as she happily made her way into the dorm.

'She's quite the handful.' He chuckled to himself. "I should hurry and get back to my office before Illustrious arrives."

A few minutes into his walk, he started to feel a bit dazed. 'Maybe drinking all of that whiskey at once wasn't the brightest idea…' He thought as he slowed down and took a couple of deep breaths.

"Commander? Is that you?" A voice asked from a bench near the shoreline.

"Hmm? Oh, hi Helena, enjoying the night air?" He said as he got closer all while trying his best to not slur or stammer.

"Yes, would you like to join me?" She offered as she moved over to one side of the bench.

'Illustrious did say she was going to shower, so I should have some time. Plus it would be a good idea to sit down and try to sober up a bit.' He reasoned in his mind before he happily sat down next to her.

Upon a closer look, he noticed that she had on a large sky blue t-shirt with the emblem of the Eagle Union covering the entire front half, long navy-blue sweatpants, and cute baby blue bunny slippers.

"You look really cute in casual-wear Helena." His inebriated self-blurted out before his conscience could react. 'What am I saying? I mean she does look adorable, but still….too bold!' He screamed internally.

"T-thank you, Commander..." She blushed heavily as she shyly looked away.

A few seconds of awkward silence passed by as the two gazed out at the night sea and sky.

"So….what brought you outside tonight?" He asked, trying to break the silence.

"Umm…well…" She started before taking a deep breath. "Actually Commander, could you hear me out?" She requested as she stared intently into his eyes.

"Of course, Helena. What's on your mind?"

"…I had decided to go straight to bed after my patrol mission, but I just woke up thanks to a nightmare." She started.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, starting to feel a bit concerned for the bluenette.

Nodding her head, a bit reluctantly, she continued. "…I saw everyone sinking. Smoke, fire, and screams everywhere I looked. I….I then saw…" She paused as she closed her eyes to hold back her tears before continuing.

"…Myself covered in flames as I slowly sunk to the bottom of an endless abyss, with nothing but darkness surrounding me further and further as I saw the Sun get dimmer and dimmer." Helena was now about to completely break down as she thought she saw not only her past but everyone's future as well.

But before the first tear could drop, she felt a warm sensation around her. Quickly opening her teary eyes, she saw that the Shikikan had closed the distance between them and had her in his warm embrace. Unable to hold back anymore, she returned the hug as she sobbed heavily into his chest.

Shikikan said nothing as he held her tight in his arms, refusing to let go in fear of letting her continue feeling the lonely darkness he knew all too well. Seconds turned into minutes as the two held each other under the starry, moonlit night sky. With all of her welled-up emotions released, Helena managed to speak once more.

"Thank you, Commander. I feel so much better now." She smiled happily, although a bit reluctant to leave his warm embrace.

"I'm glad I was able to help." He smiled back. "But seriously though Helena, I want you to know that I really do care for everyone here and that I will do everything I can and beyond to keep everyone safe and happy. I promise you that I'll never turn you away if you ever need help, so please, promise me that you won't bottle yourself up ever again and that you will come to me. I'll happily welcome you with open arms." Shikikan implored as he stared intently into her eyes.

[Affinity up!]

"Yes!" She exclaimed as her face hurt from how widely she was smiling now. The sad tears now replaced by relieved joyful ones, the Shikikan was graced with Helena's beautiful smile as her tear-stricken visage glowed under the serenity of the moonlight.

The awkward silence turned into a pleasant quiet atmosphere, the two decided to enjoy the beautiful night for a little longer.

No longer than five minutes later, Helena felt herself yawning.

"Think you can have yourself a good night's sleep and some sweet dreams now?" He smiled as he got up off the bench, only to quickly regret getting up so fast as the alcohol began messing with his senses.

"Yes, but I don't think any dream will be sweeter than right now." She mumbled, too embarrassed to say the second half any louder, let alone look at him in the eyes and say it.

"Hmm? Did you say something?" Shikikan asked as he was too busy trying not to embarrass himself.

"N-nothing!" Helena stuttered. "I'll be heading to bed now Commander. Thank you again and have a good night." She bid farewell before turning on her heels. As she walked off, she quickly turned her head back to face him. "Oh, and please be careful of drinking anymore tonight Shikikan." She giggled as she saw a rising blush on his face before turning back around and heading off to her room.

"Man, I thought I was doing a decent job too." He thought aloud.

"You underestimate a woman's intuition, Milord."

"Ah!" Shikikan jumped a bit as hearing a voice from behind so suddenly scared him.

"Sorry for scaring you Milord." Illustrious giggled as she had stepped forward out under the street lamp. She was wearing a pure white, long sleeved nightgown that greatly accentuated her generous curves and had a straw basket to her side that had two bottles of red wine and two very ornate glasses resting inside.

"No worries, but I didn't make you wait, did I?"

"Not at all Milord, I was on my way to your office from the Royal Navy dorms when I saw you talking with someone on the bench here." She informed before a knowing smile creeped up on her face. "I'm glad to hear that Milord cares for us very much." She giggled.

Now a blushing mess from being overheard, the Shikikan couldn't help but shyly look away.

"No need to feel embarrassed, Milord." She encouraged before walking up closer until she was standing right before him. "Not that I already didn't think Milord was a kind person but seeing and hearing you act so kindly warms my heart. Although, I am admittedly, a bit jealous." She smiled playfully before wrapping her free arm around his right arm. "Would you like some assistance walking back to your office?"

The Shikikan let out an awkward chuckle as he accepted her 'help' back.

Upon arrival, the two sat down on the couch and Illustrious poured two full glasses of wine. "Cheers, Milord."

"Thank you Illustrious. Cheers" He replied as they clanged glasses.

"Mm, this is delicious!" He cheered.

"I'm glad you think so too, I've been saving this bottle for a special occasion, but what better occasion would there be than to thank for everything you've done these past two days?" Her smile practically radiating light and warm as she easily polished off her glass and poured herself more.

"It was no big deal, I just wanted to make sure everyone felt welcome." He laughed shyly as he also finished his glass, to which Illustrious happily filled right back up.

"Perhaps, but it meant a lot for me Milord. It was as though I received your recognition. I felt so relieved." She smiled as she spoke earnestly, flustering the Shikikan as the beauty stared intently at him.

"W-wait, did it seem like I was putting you off?" He panicked, to which Illustrious began to giggle uncontrollably.

"Quite the opposite, Milord." She managed to say after calming down, a melancholic smile replacing her radiant one. "I meant it in that you treated us kindly, almost as if we were just like humans, and not just as tools of war."

"But you are just like humans?" He immediately replied with a quizzical look.

"Eh?" She said as she felt time stop as she looked him in the eyes and heard him continue to speak.

"Sure, everyone here is immensely powerful, but besides that….." He paused to look right back at her and smile. "Everyone here smiles, laughs, cries, walks, talks, eats, sleeps, drinks, dream, and have their own unique personalities, just like every other person in the world does. There's no way something as simple as a tool of war could ever possess any of these things."

{Affinity up!}

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a flash of white before he felt himself wrapped in Illustrious's warm embrace.

'S-she feels so soft and smells so nice…No! Get your mind out of the gutter!' His conscience battled as he was at a loss of words for the wonderful 'sensations' pressed against him.

"Milord…" Illustrious said as she released him to look intimately close into his eyes. "To hear such kind words without any sense of hesitation or deceit….is something I've always secretly desired to hear." She admitted with teary eyes as she took his hands and pressed it against her flushed cheeks. "Thank you, thank you!"

At first surprised to see the emotions pour out of Illustrious like this, he quickly recovered. "I promise that I'll never see any of you as anything as ignorant or repulsive as tools of war." He smiled as he wiped her tears away. "After all, everyone's smiles here are way too pretty and precious to lose." He chuckled lightheartedly as he downed the rest of his glass.

"You truly are wonderful Milord. I'm so happy to have met you!" She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him in for another hug, although a bit differently this time…

'H—h-h-her chest!' He screamed internally as he was pressed deeply against her wonderfully soft and generous pillows.

"Is this to your liking Milord?" She playfully asked before she began to stroke his surprisingly soft black hair.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to stay forever." He blurted out before he realized, no thanks to all of the alcohol in his system.

"My….if Milord were to ask, I would happily oblige." She giggled with half lidded eyes as she started to tighten her embrace…before a knock at the door was heard.

"Master? It's well past midnight. It's not h-oh my." Belfast said as she had opened the door right after, revealing the Shikikan and Illustrious in a very intimate position. "I was wondering where you were heading off towards in such a hurry, Miss Illustrious. Nevertheless, pardon my rude intrusion." Belfast bowed, amused at Shikikan's dismay at being seen, guilty for interrupting, and was that a small bit of jealously she also felt? Only she would know.

"Oh my, it seems I've been caught." Illustrious casually replied, although still keeping Shikikan in her embrace.

"Um…Illustrious…as much as I'd hate to ask…could you let me go? Being seen like this is…well…..extremely embarrassing." He begged.

"But I thought Milord said he never wanted to leave?" She teased with pretend hurt feelings.

"I should apologize for having not known this desire of yours. I have failed as your maid." Belfast bowed, doing a very good job holding herself back from laughing.

"C-can I surrender?" He conceded, earning giggles from the two beauties.

"Apologies once more Milord." Illustrious giggled as she released him, although a bit reluctantly, and playfully patted him on the head. "I shall be heading back to my room for the night. Thank you for the wonderful time Milord." She bowed before finishing the remainder of her glass and putting everything away into her basket.

"Master, it would seem you've had quite a bit to drink. Allow me to guide you to your bedroom." Belfast offered.

"Thank you, but I don't think I'm that gone yet." He said as he got up off the couch, all while the room swayed a bit.

"I insist, Master." Belfast said as she firmly wrapped an arm around his waist and moved his arm around her shoulder.

Looking down, he gulped at the generous view Belfast gave him.

"I'd advise you let Belfast help you. Stairs are tricky, even when only a bit tipsy." Illustrious chimed in as she had finished cleaning up. "I shall be heading back to my room for the night Milord. Thank you again for such a wonderful time." She smiled and bowed before stepping out.

"Alright Master, shall we?" Belfast suggested as she helped him up the stairs. "Also, while I appreciate the sentiment, being stared at is still a bit…" She smiled smugly, as perceptive as ever.

"S-sorry Belfast." He apologized before looking away, his face feeling as if it were burning.

"It's quite alright Master, I shall think of it as an inebriated compliment." She smiled, openly enjoying his flustered self. "Earlier, I saw Eugen drinking out of a whiskey bottle and was seemingly walking towards here. Did you perhaps start drinking then?" Belfast guessed spot on.

"Y-your intuition is quite frightening Belfast."

"But of course, a maid must strive to understand her Master in order to better serve him." She smiled as she opened the door to his room.

"Thank you." He said as he staggered forth.

"Think nothing of it." She said before stepping in as well, a smile growing on her face. "Are you planning to shower before you turn in for the night?"

"Yeah, its been a long day and a shower sounds great right about now."

"I see…would you like me to wash your back then, Master?" Her eyes twinkled mirthfully.

His flustered expression was now back with vengeance. "I-I appreciate the offer, but I don't think that would be a good idea …"

"Are you perhaps worried about being seen by others?" Belfast teased. "I can assure you that no one will enter your room this late at night….without 'good' reason of course."

"T-that's not what I was getting at…" He tried to explain, but his mind continued to fail him, earning a stifled giggle from the Head Maid.

"My apologies Master. I couldn't resist my desire to see your troubled expression." She bowed before taking her leave. "Please do call upon me if you ever change your mind. I would never deny a request from Master after all. Good night." She smiled smugly as she closed the door behind her.

'…..I should be a lot more careful when I drink…' He made a mental note in his head before heading off for the shower, brushing his teeth, and instantly passing out on his nice warm bed after a long day of working, strategizing, competing, baking, consoling, and heavy drinking.

* * *

**And part 1 ends on as the night settles in! Thank you everyone for your continued patience and support! I had an awful writer's block, so I had to take some time to figure things out. Thankfully, I was able to plan everything out and here we are! I do feel a bit bad making everyone wait over a month, so I've already finished about 50% of the next chapter and will have it ready in the next two weeks-ish. **

**And just a few things I wanted to confirm:**

**-There will definitely be more Shipfus incoming in the near future [Will confirm no collab ships though, sorry!]. Stay tuned!**

** \- Can you guess who's going to appear? Feel free to leave your guesses/wishes in the comments! **

**-I've decided to edit how the Royal Navy/Eagle Union waifus will refer to him, so the referrals will be as such for ****most**** of the shipfus.**

** Eagle Union: Commander **

** Royal Navy: Commander/Milord**

** Iron Blood: Herr Kommandant**

** Sakura Empire: Shikikan(-sama)/Milord**

** All other factions: still figuring out if I want to use native languages or just opt for Shikikan for simplicity's sake.**

**And that's it for me in this update! Remember to fav/follow if you like the story and haven't already!**

**Stay tuned for next time on Azur Lane fanfic: An Unsung Legend Chapter 12: "Scorching Hot Arrivals and Ice Cold Feelings!" **


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Scorching Hot Arrivals and Ice Cold Feelings!**

* * *

"**Physical wounds will definitely bleed and may look painful but over time they heal by themselves and if you apply medicine, they will heal faster. What's troublesome are wounds of the heart. Nothing is harder to heal. They're a bit different from physical injuries. You can't apply medicine for one thing and sometimes, they never heal. There's only one cure for a wound of the heart. It's a bit bothersome and you can only receive it from someone else. What is it? Love." – Yashamaru, Naruto**

* * *

A few days have passed since Shikikan's victory in the naval exercise against the four major kansen factions. Now feeling as if he was finally settling into his role as base commander, new challenges await as his journey continues.

'Dock yard and depot upgrades: check. Replies to commission requests: check. Training and patrol schedules: check. Dorm maintenance and upgrade requests: check. Briefing and recreational rooms refurbished…check. Canteen and base stores resupplied: check. Request from Akashi for gem 'inspection': ….Denied.' Currently, Shikikan was in the zone as he made his last checks on today's completed mountain of papers.

"Excellent work Master." Shikikan's secretary for today, Sheffield, complimented as she placed a cup of tea before him.

"Thank you, Sheffy." He replied as he gratefully took the tea.

"I'm impressed Master. To think you were actually capable of doing paperwork is astounding news." She questionably complimented, to which he could only chuckle awkwardly as he slowly sipped the soothing brew.

"By the way Sheffy, were you able to confirm with the newly arrived girls on if they've managed to fully settle in?"

"Yes Master, they –" Sheffield started to say.

"Yo, Commander!" A voice called out as the office door opened, revealing themselves to be none other than Cleveland and San Diego.

"We finished patrols and can confirm no strange activity anywhere around the base." Cleveland reported as she saluted with a large grin.

"Good work you two." He nodded as he got up and stretched, his arms aching from writing and sorting papers and his body stiff from sitting all day.

"A knock is considered good and common etiquette you two." Sheffield sighed.

"Heh, sorry about that, I always kind of forget when I'm coming in here." Cleveland chuckled shyly.

"Com~man~der! You were right! Walking around the base helped me get some new song ideas! Wanna hear?" San Diego invited as she happily twirled around the room and closer to him.

"Sure, but after I get something to eat." He agreed as he patted the carefree cruiser's head.

It was then that a knocking sound turned everyone's attention to the door.

"Shikikan, about t-." Takao started as she had started entering immediately after knocking.

"Waiting for a confirmation to come in is also considered proper etiquette…" Sheffield sighed again as she poured three cups of tea.

"M-my apologies, I was not expecting to see so many people in Shikikan's office at this time." Takao lowered her head.

"No worries, it's been a long day and I'm sure everyone's just tired and hungry." Shikikan smiled as he gestured for her to come in. "So did the training plan seem alright?"

"_Hai_!" Takao saluted. "The assault, escort, and advance raid scenarios you've created have already proven to be quite challenging."

"Raid scenarios?" Cleveland questioned.

"Allow me to explain." Sheffield jutted in as she brought everyone a cup of tea. "Thanks to Akashi, Master has dedicated quite a bit of time into observing the recordings from the exercise we had four days ago. In order to both further improve our abilities as kansen and to create a sense of camaraderie and synergy between the four factions, Master created countless training regimes for us.

"It is as she says." Takao confirmed as she sat down on the couch and sipped on the surprisingly pleasant tea. "Being among the first to test out the training scenarios, I can confirm everyone will benefit from these tough challenges."

"Sounds interesting, thanks Commander!" Cleveland grinned.

"No prob. Since I can't really fight on the front lines, I figured supporting everyone as much as I can from the sidelines is the least I can do."

"That is very good and all Master but running yourself ragged and losing sleep will not only inconvenience yourself but us as well. Please keep your health in mind, Master." Sheffield bluntly requested.

"Come to think of it, I do see some bags forming under your eyes Shikikan." Takao said as she was oblivious to how close she had leaned into his face.

"T-Takao? Y-you're a bit close…" Shikikan blushed.

It took Takao no longer than a split second to realize what he meant as she quickly backed away, blushing heavily. "A-apologies Shikikan, my eyesight isn't the best."

Just then the sound of a camera flashing was heard. "Ah, a good idea, finally! This will definitely make the front page!" A new voice was heard from the now open doorway revealing a neon blue haired fox girl vigorously writing down on a notepad. "Whoops, blew my cover….Later!" She sung before quickly dashing out.

"C-_Chotto matte_ Aoba! You misunderstand!" Takao yelled as she chased after the mischievous newly arrived kansen.

"Aha….." Shikikan sweat dropped before turning to face Sheffield. "That reminds me, you were about to speak right Sheffy?"

"I'm pleased that you've managed to remember." She replied, earning an unsure chuckle from Shikikan as Cleveland and San Diego had apparently buried themselves into some of Shikikan's newly bought manga that lined the no longer empty bookshelf on the other side of the office.

"In addition to Aoba, Nagara, Leander, and Phoenix have comfortably settled into the base." Sheffield confirmed for the four new allies, who've all awoken in the dockyard over the past four days. "And judging from how all four of them were sent on an escort commission earlier today…" She continued as she gazed over to the doorway.

And as fate would have it…

"Shikikan? We're coming in." Nagara announced as she came in with Leander and Phoenix in tow.

"Good evening, Commander. The escort commission was a resounding success. Please take the rewards." Leander informed as she handed him a file listing said rewards.

"Great work you three. Were there any troubles?" He asked as he skimmed over the file.

"Nope, so hurry and send me out another commission Commander! My hand is calling out to me to seize victory!" Phoenix posed as she swung her arm up and pointed to the ceiling.

"Heh, well we do have a night commission for guarding an oil extraction project. How's that sound?"

"You can count on me Commander! I'll paint the east red in blood if any Sirens show up!" The energetic cruiser cheered.

"Alright then, I'll schedule you in with Helena, Z46, and Atago then." He said as he added her name to the commission response list.

"My, you would definitely get along well with my sister Achilles." Leander giggled.

"Wow! You finished all of that paperwork already? Well done, Commander." Nagara praised him as she playfully patted his head.

"Thanks Nagara." Shikikan said as he happily went along with the new cruiser's doting tendency. 'Quite the unique bunch of new faces, but I wouldn't have it any other way.' Shikikan smiled as he saw everyone happily getting along.

"I'm quite famished so I shall be taking my leave now. Have a good night Commander!" Leander smiled as she curtsied and walked out.

"Oh, me too! I'm going to need it for the night commission! Later Commander!" Phoenix grinned before following after her.

"Make sure you eat something too and don't stay up too late Shikikan!" Nagara added before she too left for the canteen.

"Whoa! Was there a party in Commander's office that I didn't hear about?" Looking up, Shikikan noticed that as the three of them were leaving, Hornet along with Saratoga, Shoukaku, and Zuikaku had swapped in.

"Hey Sara! Didja just come back from a commission too?" San Diego shouted as she looked up and noticed more familiar faces.

"Yeah! I was coming here to report to Commander b-wait.." Saratoga paused as she looked down towards what San Diego had in her hands. "Is that the first volume of Sailor Magica!?"

"Don't know, I just picked this one from over there because it looked pretty." San Diego giggled as she pointed to Commander's fully stocked manga bookshelf.

"My juustagram's been blowing up about this new series, but I haven't had any time to go buy it!" Saratoga said as she rushed over to read alongside San Diego.

"Hey Sara, did you forget we had a report to give?" Hornet called out to her fellow carrier but was left hanging as Saratoga was too busy gushing over the newest volume before her. "Guess, I'll just do it then." She smiled before turning to face Shikikan.

"The carrier training was a success Commander. I wasn't expecting it to be that hard, but I'm glad it was since I'll be able to catch up to Enty in no time!"

"I second that!" Zuikaku added. "Nothing beats the satisfaction of overcoming tough challenges and these training sessions will help do just that! I'm sure of it!"

"Glad to hear." Shikikan smiled as he finished his tea.

"Perhaps you can get some rest now Shikikan." Shoukaku spoke as she walked up close and stared into his tired eyes.

'Déjà vu..' Shikikan thought as he stared into her gorgeous deep blue eyes.

"Hmm? Shikikan, have you not been sleeping?" Zuikaku questioned.

"No, I have, but just not enough to call it healthy." He admitted before yawning.

"That's no good Shikikan. You need to rest, otherwise, you'll get sick and worry m-us." Shoukaku blushed a bit as she stutter.

"Agreed. I'll send out the papers to where they need to go, so go have dinner and sleep early tonight Master." Sheffield ordered.

"Have you not had dinner yet?" Shoukaku asked, a smile perking up when he nodded 'no'.

"Then come have dinner with Shoukaku-nee and me!" Zuikaku grinned as she grabbed him by the wrist and practically flew him like a kite out of the office.

"W-wait Zuikaku! We've got plenty of time!" Shikikan yelled to no avail.

"I guess I'll go after them." Shoukaku sighed. "I shall be taking my leave now. _Oyasumi_." She politely bowed to Sheffield and Hornet before leaving.

"So, were there any tensions between them, you, and your sister?" Sheffield asked moments after.

"Kinda…" Hornet replied as she nonchalantly put her hands behind her head. "There's definitely some sort of rivalry between Zuikaku and Sis, but nothing out of line."

"I suppose only time and Master's efforts will tell." Sheffield assumed.

"Yeah you might be right about that." Hornet agreed before grinning once more. "So, how'd you like being his secretary?"

"To be honest, when I first met him, I thought he would be unreliable, unconfident, and unable to properly command us." Sheffield bluntly admitted, earning an awkward laugh from Hornet.

"But…" She continued. "After that joint exercise battle and being his secretary, I'll admit he's more than meets the eyes. He's soft spoken, but he gets the job done, effectively and efficiently might I add, and he's an earnest hard worker." Sheffield said with a ghost of a smile on her face.

"Looks like someone's been smitten." Hornet teased.

"…I have no idea what you're talking about or whom you speak of for that matter." Sheffield said, her poker face right back on and as impenetrable as ever.

"Ahaha…" Hornet chuckled before turning her attention over to Cleveland. "What 'cha reading over there Clevie?"

"It's the new one Reno's juustagram has been blowing up about!" Cleveland grinned as she held up the manga.

"Oh, the superhero one about a guy being able to win any fight with a single punch, right?" Hornet guessed as she walked over.

"Yeah, and to be honest, I can see why she likes it so much! Wanna read it together?"

"Sure!" Hornet agreed and lied down next to Cleveland.

"Wanna join us Sheffy?" Cleveland offered.

"Thank you for the offer, but I've already taken a liking to this one." She politely declined as she reached out by the coffee table and picked up another manga.

"Which ones that?" Hornet inquired.

"This one's a love story revolving around an accomplished piano prodigy. Due to his tragic past, he suffered a mental breakdown that stopped him from wanting to play again, that is until he meets a talented violinist dead set on bringing him back." Sheffield spoke with uncharacteristically high enthusiasm, before quickly reverting back to her usual poker face. "In short, it's quite good thus far and I'm looking forward to reading more."

"I'll look into it, but I gotta say, Commander's definitely got a wide range of interests…" Hornet thought aloud, to which Sheffield and Cleveland nodded in agreement before all three of them happily returned back to their stories.

[Back with Shikikan]

"Um Shoukaku?"

"_Hai _Shikikan?"

"This is a lot of food…" Shikikan said as he had three plates worth of food before him.

"Don't worry Shikikan, Fusou and Yamashiro made plenty and the rest of the girls have already eaten, so don't feel the need to hold back. Shoukaku smiled sweetly as she brought a pair of chopsticks holding a piece of chicken to his mouth. "Your arms must be sore from writing all day, so allow me to offer my assistance."

"I appreciate the offer, but my arms are fin-"

"Ahh" She hummed sweetly as she brought the chopsticks closer.

"B-but everyone's wat-" He fruitlessly tried to protest.

"**_Ahh_**." Shoukaku hummed again, only this time a bit more demandingly.

"Ah" Shikikan said, quickly giving in.

"_Oishi_?" She happily asked.

Flustered from the giggles of other girls in the canteen, the Shikikan could only manage a small nod.

"Ehehe….you look so cute Shikikan." A drunken Hyuuga teased as she sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Here have a drink!" She said before quickly emptying a sake cup into his mouth.

"Well aren't you a lucky guy Shikikan ahahaha!" Ise laughed heartily as she chimed in. "Ever since coming here, life's a lot more vivid and entertaining now. Cheers, Shikikan!" She added before downing a large bottle of sake.

"Shikikannnn…..Akashi is sleepy nyaaaa." The green-haired catgirl groaned as she hopped onto his lap, curled up, and quickly fell asleep.

"Hmm? Did you let Akashi drink?" Zuikaku asked Ise as she noticed a half full sake cup right by where Akashi was sitting.

"No, but she must've snuck one in when I wasn't looking, but it looks like it only took her a swig to call it quits ahaha!" Ise laughed.

"Milord! Here's some dess—waaa!" Yamashiro said before she tripped on her own leg and fell down, the sundae she was carrying flying out of her hands and straight into a knowing and awaiting Fusou's hands."

"Good thing I came out with you Yamashiro. Please do try to be more mindful of your surroundings." She sighed as she placed the bowl right in front of Shikikan.

"_Hai….."_ Yamashiro said with swirls in her eyes.

"Are you alright Yamashiro?" Shikikan asked concerningly.

"Wa Milord! I mean no, wait yes I'm fine…sorry…." Yamashiro tried to speak before looking downcast for a split second until Shikikan decided to pat her head.

"No harm done, I'm just glad you're alright." He smiled warmly.

"Ehehe, _arigato_ Milord!" She hummed as she quickly cheered up.

"Here you go Shikikan, say 'ahh'" Shoukaku happily requested as she reloaded her chopsticks with more food.

"Drink up Shikikan! The night's young!" Hyuuga cheered as she drunkenly waved the sake bottle in the air and clanged cups with her tipsy sister.

'Eh, might as well enjoy it…right?' He shrugged before giving into the Sakura Empire girls whims.

[Early next morning]

'Ugh..' Shikikan groaned as he accidentally rolled out of his bed. Looking around, he noticed that he was somehow in his room and saw that it was just past 6:00 AM. Thinking back, he remembered Takao coming into the canteen not too long after he gave in to the girls and dragging him back to his room, reminding him that he needed to get a good night's rest for once. Turning over, he noticed a tall glass of water sitting on his nightstand.

'I should thank Takao later.' He thought as he quickly clenched his dry throat and then decided to go back to sleep since he still had time before he needed to get back to work.

Closing his eyes, he slowly drifted back into a peaceful slumber, but when he opened his eyes again, he found himself no longer in his room, but in a grassy meadow divided up by multiple tranquil flowing streams. Confused, he looked around and noticed a huge cherry blossom tree in the near distance. Now intrigued, he walked closer to it, paling in comparison to how massive the tree was as petals endlessly fluttered around it.

'This is a dream…right?' He thought before he felt a few petals landed on his cheek. 'Apparently I had too much fun.' He joked as he actually felt the sensation of the petals in his hand as he picked it off his face.

"Hmm? Who might you be?" A gentle, feminine voice asked from behind him.

Surprised, he quickly turned around, but he saw no one there. "Oh great, now I'm hallucinating." He frowned.

"No need to feel perturbed, I can assure you that you are in no danger here. But, judging from what you just said, I can assume two things. The first being the more obvious one in that you have no idea how you came here or where 'here' even is." The voice spoke once more, but this time Shikikan couldn't pinpoint exactly where it was coming from.

"Yeah, I was in my room falling back asleep and then when I opened my eyes again, I ended up here somehow." He confessed to the unknown entity.

"I see, then that makes my second assumption seem more likely."

"Could I ask what that might be?" He asked curiously.

"That there is something greater at play here, or fate, if you will. May I ask for your name and affiliations?"

Taking a moment to think, Shikikan spoke. "Long story short, I've lost my memories of anything further than a month ago in addition to my name. But as for my affiliation, I'm the commander of a naval base."

" I see…well then, please allow me to refer to you as Shikikan. As for myself, please call me *****…..strange. It seems I'm unable to disclose that information." The voice pondered aloud.

Oddly enough, Shikikan's mind wandered back to a certain law regarding equivalent exchange that he read in one of the mangas he bought. Before he could dive deeper though, the voice spoke once more.

"Well anyway, since you are already here, would you like to chat?" The voice kindly offered as Shikikan decided 'why not?' and plopped down next to the tree.

Time seemed to have stopped as the two chatted away endlessly. Unknowingly and uncaringly, the Shikikan ended up telling the unknown voice everything that happened since he arrived on base. The voice seemingly enjoyed his tales and happily continued to listen, only to be stopped when a bright light beginning to shine through the domain.

"A shame, it would seem we must part ways…." The voice said, sounding a bit downcast.

"Will I ever speak with you again?" He asked.

"I can't say for sure, but I certainly hope so, you're quite an affable fellow after all. Although I would prefer to meet again in hopefully under less… surreal circumstances." The voice giggled.

"I hope so too. Speaking with you really puts my mind at ease." He smiled.

"Likewise, perhaps you really are the _one_…" The voice spoke, seemingly wandering off in thought.

"What do you mean?" He questioned.

"Forgive me, I was just contemplating some things. Farewell for now, Shikikan."

As the light began to become the only thing he could see, he heard the voice say one last thing.

"While the road ahead might seem perilous, I believe that is also what makes the journey worthwhile. May you be blessed with good tidings…Shikikan…-sama." With those last encouraging words, she bid him farewell as the light engulfed him.

Upon opening his eyes, he noticed a familiar ceiling. 'And just like that I'm back huh?' He guessed as he looked over to the clock once more.

'7:45 AM, might as well get up since 15 minutes will do me nothing.' He decided as he got up and out of bed. 'Strangely enough, after whatever 'that' was, I'm feeling pretty good.' He noticed as he did some morning stretches before getting ready for the day, feeling wide awake and raring to go.

After doing his morning routine and having a hearty breakfast of oatmeal, yogurt, and a fruit salad, he made his way downstairs to his office with a large mug of coffee in his hands. As he sat down, he saw a notification on his computer from Victoria requesting a video chat.

"Good morning Vice Admiral." He saluted and smiled once Victoria appeared.

"Did you miss the part where I said this would just be a casual chat?" Victoria sighed hearing him address her so unfamiliarly

"Nope and sorry about that." He chuckled lightly. " I just learned recently I can't help myself sometimes."

"I can see that, but well, I'm glad to see you're still doing alright. There haven't been any complaints or issues directed at you, but I still thought it be nice to check up on you regardless." She smiled warmly.

"Thank you for that." He smiled back. "Although, I did have a great teacher to thank for that."

Victoria laughed happily with a soft blush on her cheeks. "I'm glad to hear I didn't scare you away with those cram courses. But anyway, since I finally have some free time, I just wanted to congratulate you on your first naval exercise and victory to boot."

"Ah thank-wait what? How'd you know we had a naval exercise?" He asked wide-eyed and confused.

"Oh? Didn't Akashi tell you? I had to speak with her yesterday regarding some research work and the exercise came up as a topic. She ended up offering me a video recording of it when I asked about it. Greedy cat actually had me pay for it with gems too." Victoria sighed

"Heh, that does sound like Akashi alright." He chuckled.

"Yeah no kidding, but when I was watching it in the lounge room TV, a bunch of other officers ended up swinging by and saw it too. Word got out and soon enough, the entire division ended up watching it. And I gotta say, you're quite the celebrity over here, even being dubbed 'the devilish rookie'." Victoria laughed.

"I...I don't know how I feel about that title…" Shikikan laughed awkwardly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it'll change sooner or later. But any before I head off, I do need to talk business with you." She said before her face turned a bit serious. "There's been some sightings of flashing lights and strange noises about 34 nautical miles east from where you are. We've sent some drones to investigate but they all went black before we could see anything. We're shorthanded right now, so High Command wants you to investigate and report back before the end of today."

'I really hope it's not what I think it is….' He worried. "Will do. I'll sortie with the girls there before noon."

"Thank you Shikikan." Victoria had a knowing look on her face but decided not to press on. "I should probably get going now, but don't hesitate to reach out to me. Work related or not. Keep up the good work and stay safe Shikikan." She smiled.

"Will do. See you later Victoria." He waved good-bye before the call ended. 'Come to think of it, she mentioned research work. Is Victoria part of Azur Lane R&D?' He wondered.

'Hmm..., wait what's that noise?' He questioned as he heard some noise coming from behind his door.

[A few minutes ago in front of Shikikan's office doors]

"Hmm? Might I ask what you ladies are doing with your heads pressed against Master's office doors so early in the morning?" Belfast inquired the group of eavesdroppers.

"Morning Bel!" Hornet casually greeted. "I have all of this extra energy and wanted to ask Commander if there were any good commissions I could go on."

"The dummkopf wanted a budget report on the Ironblood dorm upgrade expenses so here I am being the messenger." Hipper sighed as she waved a file in her hands.

"I see" Belfast smiled and nodded. "And what about you Miss Takao?" She glanced over to said heavy cruiser.

"Shikikan indulged himself quite a bit last night…and," Takao started to blush, "I just wanted to make sure he was alright…" She reddened.

"I-indulge!?" A flustered Hipper questioned loudly as she stared incredulously at Takao.

"H-huh? Ah! N-no! You misunderstand!" Takao panicked as she realized she chose her words poorly.

"I'm sure Miss Takao was just referring to liquor, am I correct?" Belfast calmly stepped in.

"_H-hai_! H-how could you think of something so l-lecherous? H-how shameless!" Takao squealed at Hipper.

"H-hah? How am I the shameless one when you're the one who said something so misleading!?" A red faced Hipper fought back.

Before either could continue arguing the door opened, revealing a puzzled Shikikan wondering what the fuss outside the door was.

"Um…is something wrong?" He asked.

"N-nothing!" Takao and Hipper both quickly lied.

"Apologies Master, did we disrupt your call?" Belfast bowed.

"Nope. I had just ended when I started to hear yelling. Did something happen?" He questioned.

"N-nothing you dummkopf!" Hipper quickly spoke. "J-just hurry up and take this document you wanted so badly already!" The tsundere nagged as she handed him the file.

Still feeling playful, he decided to tease her. "Aw thanks Hipper, but you didn't have to go out of your way to get this done so early in the morning."

"H-huh!? Who was going out of their way!? I just woke up early and thought I'd be productive! It's not like I did it for a _baka dummkopf_ like you or anything!" Hipper said, showing off her prowess as the epitome of a tsundere.

"I'm honored to have such an honest and hard-working person like you, Hipper." He smiled as he patted her head.

"Hmph, it's about time you realized how grateful you should be." She scoffed, not seemingly putting in any effort to swat away his hand.

"Pft…" Hornet started as held back her laughter.

"Well I've got no other business here so I'm going to head back, so don't you dare slack off!" Hipper nagged albeit with a satisfied happy blush as she turned around and walked away.

"Nice job tsundere tamer." Hornet joked.

"Heh, thanks Hornet, but to be honest I half expected you to be one as well." He jokingly admitted.

"Sorry about that." Hornet cheerfully sung. "Just cause I'm a twin tailed blonde, doesn't mean I'm a tsundere, you know! After all, I'm not a stereotypical woman!" She proclaimed.

'I'm willing to bet Hipper would've raged if she heard that.' Shikikan thought as he glanced over to where Hipper headed off towards.

"Good morning Master. Have you partaken in breakfast yet?" Belfast greeted him warmly.

"Morning, and yeah, just a light one though." He smiled back.

"Very good, shall we begin today's work then?" Belfast curtsied. "Belfast, your maid and today's secretary, reporting for duty."

'Oh, Shikikan already has a secretary for the day…' Takao thought, not noticing a slightly downhearted expression apparent on her face, not to be unnoticed by Shikikan in particular.

"Hey Takao, I have to go out on a commission later, would you like to come with me?"

Upon hearing this, Takao brightened up immediately. "_H-hai_! It'll be my honor!"

"What type of commission is it?" Hornet asked.

"High Command has asked us to investigate some strange sights and noises to our east. They sent some drones earlier, but apparently they all went missing." He informed with a slight tone of nervousness.

All three of them quickly noticing the change in his voice, they exchanged glances with each other before silently agreeing to not pry into it…for now.

"Sounds interesting, let me in too!" Hornet requested.

"Sure why not? A fleet hasn't been decided yet after all." He decided before turning back to his office desk. "I'll decide on who to bring after I make a dent in the paperwork over here. But for now, please stand on standby for now. Perhaps a hearty breakfast be a good idea too."

"Yes sir!" Hornet and Takao saluted before heading off to the canteen.

"Alright, shall we start then Belfast?"

"With pleasure Master." She replied before the two made their way inside and got straight to work. Paperwork that is.

[Later in the canteen]

"Hey Takao, are you still worried?" Hornet questioned.

"_Hai_, if the Sirens really are at play here, then I really don't think Shikikan should go." Takao frowned.

"Yeah, but orders are order sadly." Hornet frowned before cheering right back up. "That said, it's up to us to prevent anything bad from happening!"

"Heh, agreed." Takao replied as Hornet's infectious smile easily got to her as well.

"Morning you two, mind if I sit?" Enterprise asked with a tray of breakfast in hand.

"Don't leave out Onee-san now!" Atago smiled with a comically large bowl of ramen on her tray.

"Mornin' Sis!" Hornet cheered as she pulled out a chair for her.

"How was the night commission Atago?" Takao asked, doing the same.

"A few mass-produced Siren ships probably scouting the area, but nothing really worth mentioning. But us girls on the commission did get to know each other a bit better. _Itadakimasu_." Atago said before digging in.

"Speaking of commissions, did you manage to convince Commander to give you an interesting one?" Enterprise questioned as she bit into her toast.

"Yeah, but.." Hornet started before she glanced over to Takao, who quickly understood why and nodded in reply.

"But?" Enterprise asked.

"Okay so basically High Command wants Commander himself to investigate some strange lights and noises that drones can't get to without getting shot down."

Hearing this both Atago and Enterprise both stopped taking another bite as they quickly realized what Hornet was implying.

"I'm going to speak with Commander." Enterprise started before Hornet grabbed her by her sleeve.

"I get how ya feel Sis, but eat first, unless you want Vestal to scold you for not eating properly again." Hornet half joked.

"Y-yeah, good idea." Enterprise shuttered as she sat back down. Vestal was one of the scariest people to anger, and that's saying something.

[Back with Shikikan]

"Master, you stopped working." Belfast remarked. "Are you alright?"

"S-sorry Belfast, I just had something on my mind." He said before getting back to the papers in front of him.

"Are you still troubled by what High Command has asked of you?"

Hearing her accurately guess his obvious concern, he looked up and smiled somberly at her.

"Master if I may, perhaps it would be for the best that you request not to be directly involved with this commission in particular." Belfast suggested.

"I would agree, but I'm willing to bet this is High Command's test to see if I'm right for the job, not that I can blame them though. Can't have someone unable to confront Sirens head on for such an important position after all." He reasoned.

"You're most likely correct, Master, but that being said, are you certain you will be fine?" Belfast asked worryingly.

"I…I really don't know, but I have to make that first step at some point, right?" He sighed heavily.

Belfast stared at him for moment, seemingly trying to make up her mind. "All of your points are valid and rational, but I'm still rather troubled, so I humbly request to participate on this commission, Master." She decided.

"Us too Commander." Another voice spoke as the door to the office opened, revealing not only Enterprise, Atago, Hornet, and Takao, but Eugen, Wales, and Shoukaku as well.

Belfast looked questionably at Takao and Hornet, where the former blushed and bowed apologetically, and the latter whistled while trying to avoid making eye contact.

"My apologies, I was not expecting this to be blown out of proportion." Takao started, with Hornet nodding vigorously.

"Nonsense, this is a rather urgent matter that needs to be taken seriously." Wales retorted. "Commander, do you really intend to take on this commission?"

Taking a deep breath, he steeled his resolve. "Yes, as per High Command's orders, I will be taking part directly on this commission, regardless of the potential threats there."

"Understood. Then, as unanimously decided by us faction representatives, we request that you take the necessary precautions and take two fleets of kansen with you." Wales stated.

"And don't think of trying to wiggle your way out of this _Herr Kommandant_. Our minds are made up and we refuse to take any chances." Eugen added, to which everyone nodded in agreement.

Silence passed through the office as Shikikan rested his head behind his folded hands on the desk.

"Shikikan?" Shoukaku started.

Looking up and bringing his hands down, Shikikan spoke. "I don't know what I'd do without you girls. Thank you." He smiled sincerely, causing the girls to blush various shades of red.

"Ara, you're such a tease Shikikan. Onee-san was ready to stand her ground until you gave in." Atago half joked.

"I believe it was because Master was trying his best not to show his tears." Belfast blurted out.

"…..I have no idea what you're talking about Bel." He deadpanned, leading everyone to giggle at his flustered self.

"W-well anyway, I'll decide on who else will be coming once I finish the rest of these papers." He said, trying to change the subject.

"Fret not Commander. Your deliverance has arrived." KGV spoke as she too appeared from the doorway, with Z23 and Illustrious in tow.

"We'll take care of the paperwork _Herr Kommandant_. Please begin your sortie preparations." Z23 spoke as she took the stack of papers away from him and brought them to the coffee table on the other side of the office.

"Indeed, the sooner this situation has been dealt with, the better." Illustrious added. "I would like to hurry and thank you over some tea and cake for the wonderful massage you gave me a few days ago after all." She giggled sweetly.

"W-wait, Illustrious you got another massage?" Wales questioned.

"Yes, my shoulders have always been quite stiff, but Milord's massages have done me wonders." She giggled as she stretched, unintentionally showing off her assets.

"That's not fair Shikikan, I haven't gotten a massage in the past two days." Shoukaku pouted.

"That's nothing! Enty and I haven't even gotten a second one yet!' Hornet chimed in.

"H-hornet!" Enterprise protested.

'….Wait, they're all getting massages?' Z23 pouted as she stared at everyone and their rather...bountiful assets.

"Don't worry Nimi, you're still growing." Eugen teased as she wrapped her arms suggestively around the petite destroyer.

"E-eugen! Stop!" Z23 protested as she struggled to get out of the cruiser's hold on her.

"I'm sure _Herr Kommandant_ won't say no if you ask nicely." Eugen reasoned, smirking as Z23 stopped struggling just for a second upon hearing this.

'Yeah, there's no way I'd ever willingly give up seeing such peaceful, happy scenes.' Shikikan confirmed as he simply rested his head on one hand and smiled as he watched the lighthearted chaos around him unfold.

"I'm glad to see you've cheered up and are now enjoying the view Master, but there's still work to be done." Belfast reminded him, albeit with traces of smug satisfaction in her voice.

"R-right…"

A few hours later on the dockyard…..

"Why can't I go too!?" Saratoga complained.

"Sorry Sara, but someone needs to watch over the base while we're out." Enterprise replied, unsuccessful in consoling the unhappy carrier.

"Think of it this way Sara: I trust you the most to keep everyone and the base safe and sound while I'm out." Shikikan added.

"Well….when you put it that way…I guess I have no choice." A now happy Saratoga hummed at his high praise and thoughts of her.

"Thanks for being so understanding Sara." Shikikan smiled as he briefly head-patted the carrier.

"Shikikan nya! Your cruiser's all set to go! Everyone's waiting so hurry up nya!" Akashi yelled from the other end of the dock.

"On my way!" He yelled back before turning to face everyone seeing him off. "I'll be off now. Please look over each other and the base while I'm out."

"Don't worry about the base, I swear on my honor as a battleship that nothing will happen to it!" Ise proclaimed.

"Please be careful, _Herr Kommandant_." Spee requested, seemingly concerned.

"Will do, Spee, I'll bring back some souvenirs for everyone if I see anything good." He said, patting her head.

"As expected of my slave! But they better be worth mine and Spee's attention though! Got it?" Deutschland smirked.

"Heh, sure, I'll try my best." He chuckled before getting on his cruiser and sailing off.

As she watched him sail off into the distance, Unicorn spoke. "Big sister, will big brother be okay?

"Don't worry Unicorn, Belfast, Enterprise, and so many other strong kansen are with him. Come let's go have an early lunch before we get back to training." Illustrious smiled as she offered Unicorn her hand.

"Okay!" Unicorn cheered as she happily accepted and walked to the canteen hand-in-hand with her.

"Alright as the one in charge, I now give my first command: set up a huge prank for Commander in his office once he gets back!" Saratoga decreed.

"Yayyy! I'll go get that cannon!" San Diego cheered as she and Saratoga ran off.

"W-wait! Why do you need a cannon!? Come back!" Cleveland worried as she chased after the two.

[Back with Shikikan]

'On the first fleet, there's Enterprise as flagship with Wales and Hornet on the main fleet and Belfast, Helena, and Sheffield on the vanguard. For the second fleet, Shoukaku's leads the main fleet with Zuikaku and Eugen, Takao, and Atago are set for their vanguard.' Shikikan confirmed as he triple-checked everything again. "All their equipment have been upgraded and are fully loaded, and our air power is top-notch, but maybe I should've gotten either Ise or Hyuuga to come with? No, wait, if I did that then I'd feel even more worried about the base being attacked. Should I have asked Victoria for reinforcements to help guard the base? But, didn't she say they were short-staffed? But what if it rains today? The weather said it'll just be a cloudy day, but there's always a chance. Will the girls on base be able to make out approaching enemies through rain though?' Shikikan's mind was all over the place right now, and it started to show as he had been on the bow of the ship staring into space since they sortied.

"Hey earth to Commander." A voice called out as he saw a hand waving in front of his face.

"Hmm? Oh, hey Hornet, what's up?"

"Nothing really, you just turned into a statue and your fingers have been tapping away on that railing." Hornet replied.

Looking down, he noticed that his fingers were still tapping away. "Oh." He said before he finally managed to remember how to get his fingers to stop moving on their own.

"Are you going to be okay, Shikikan? Perhaps it be best if you lied down inside your quarters for the time being." Takao recommended with a worried expression.

Before he replied, he felt someone tug on his collar and drag him away from the bow. "Come along, _Herr Kommandant, _I know the perfect drink to help you unwind. And as luck would have it, I found everything I'll need in your cruiser's lounge area." Eugen smiled happily while dragging him inside.

"I-I don't know if liquor's going to do him any good…" Hornet sweat-dropped as he disappeared into his cruiser.

[Inside the cruiser in the lounge area]

"I don't know if liquor right now is a good idea Eugen…" He unknowingly said the same thing Hornet did. "Plus it's not even noon..."

"Just drink. This one's good for calming nerves. Trust me." Eugen shushed him as she poured whiskey, sweet vermouth, bitters, and ice into a cocktail shaker. After a few minutes of nothing but the sound of Eugen shaking the mixture filling the seemingly empty lounge, she poured it into two cocktail glasses and garnished both with a brandied cherry.

"They call this a Manhattan." She explained as she slid the glass before him. "Given the circumstances, I won't be mad if you don't finish it so at least take a sip or two and save the rest for later, after we successfully complete this mission."

"_Prost, Herr Kommandant_". She cheered as she clanged glasses with him and slowly enjoyed her creation.

'She already made it and it be rude to not at least try it...but I really shouldn't be drinking on the job, even though it does look really good….ah screw it!' He decided before taking a large sip, instantly feeling the burn in his throat from the strong concoction.

"Feeling better?"

"…Honestly, yeah." He replied, feeling the overwhelming stress, anxiety, and dread float away as he took another sip.

Enjoying the comfortable silence between the two of them, they took their time as they enjoyed their drinks. Once Eugen's glass was nearing empty, she spoke.

"_Herr Kommandant_, do you trust us?" Eugen asked with the most serious expression he's seen on her yet.

"Of course, I do! Even more so than I trust myself half the time!" He immediately replied with his honest thoughts and feelings.

A light blush formed on her cheeks as a smile emerged on her flawless visage. "Good, because I'm willing to bet that all the others trust you as much as I do." She confessed. "We won't ever let the Sirens near you, so stand tall and lead us."

'…When did I get this pathetic? I'm not even going to be the one on the frontlines and here I am quaking in my boots. The girls are relying on me to lead them to victory and keep them safe, so what am I doing stuck in the past? Get it together!' He harshly criticized himself before taking another large swig of his drink.

"Sorry you had to see me like that Eugen." He thanked the cruiser.

"I'm just glad to see you back to normal, but I am taking your cherry as payment for being your bartender." She winked before taking his brandied cherry and seductively biting into it all while staring amusingly into his eyes.

Mind going into the gutter at an alarming rate, he was about to complain about how she phrased that, however, he was interrupted when someone coughed from the lounge entrance. Looking, over Shikikan noticed five familiar figures approaching him and Eugen.

"Ara, so this is where you were Shikikan." Spoke Atago.

"Master, while I normally would have no complaints on you enjoying a drink before noon, please refrain from doing so when out on a mission." Belfast frowned.

"Belfast's right, Commander. Please save the other half of that drink for until after the mission is done." Enterprise added.

Shikikan was about to apologize, but Eugen had pressed her drink's cherry garnish on his lips, shushing him. "A few sips aren't going to cloud _Herr Kommandant_'s judgments, plus he needed to relax, so I really don't see the problem here." Eugen defended.

"Yeah, Commander wasn't looking too hot a few minutes ago." Hornet chuckled awkwardly.

"She speaks the truth." Takao admitted.

"In any case, please settle for jasmine tea for the time being, Master." Belfast sighed.

"Will do, Belfast." He gratefully thanked the beautiful maid for her leniency before grabbing his glass and putting it into the nearby fridge.

"You do look a lot better now though Commander." Hornet commented.

"Heh, yeah, Eugen talked some sense into me." He admitted as he turned to face the cruiser in question.

"Anytime _Herr Kommandant_." Eugen winked.

When she said that though, Shikikan could feel multiple pairs of eyes staring into the back of his head and at Eugen for some strange reason. That said, Eugen either didn't seem to notice or paid no heed to them as she kept calmly smiling.

"W-well anyway, I should go check in with the girls on watch duty right about now, so if you all would please excuse me." He spun on his heels and half walked, half ran out the door.

They remained silent as they waited a few moments, up until they were sure he was out of hearing range.

"So, how long have you girls been listening in?" Eugen asked.

"Right when you poured those...Manhattans you called them?" Atago answered. "Was he really that wound up?"

"Yeah, but as you saw, he should be fine...for the timing being at least." Eugen replied before a smirk creeped up on her face. "So, did you girls want a drink too?"

"Miss Eugen, I'd strongly recommend being more wary of how much liquor you drink since it might impair the second fleet's capabilities." Belfast stated.

"As if a few drinks are enough to do anything to me." She retorted while stretching out her arms and yawning.

"You need not fret about the capabilities of the second fleet. I'll guarantee that no Siren will get past me." Takao declared.

"_Sasuga Takao-chan_. Onee-san will watch over Shikikan while he's in my loving embrace then." Atago giggled.

"Alert! Enemies spotted! I repeat enemies spotted! Please prepare for combat!" Helena announced via radio to everyone.

"Looks like those drinks will have to wait." Hornet joked as she and everyone else quickly ran out to the door.

[With the Shikikan]

'If you can't trust yourself, trust the girls to keep you safe. In return, make sure they don't get hurt!' Shikikan calmed himself down as he stepped into the cruiser's command room.

Taking one last deep breath, he turned on his comms and braced himself for whatever's about to happen. "How many enemies are you sensing Helena?" He asked the bluenette via radio.

"Two large mass-produced Siren fleets in the northeast and southeast! No signs of any Siren elites as of right now Commander!" Helena replied.

'I guess that counts as good news…' He thought before calling the flagship of main fleet 2. "Shoukaku, are you able to see what type of formation they're running?"

"Unfortunately, no, but they do seem to be trying to prevent us from reaching the island behind them by forming a circular wall around it.

'So there's something on the island they don't want us to see…' He assumed. "Both fleets: Get into a double line formation and prepare for combat!"

"Yes sir!"

"Main fleet 1! Focus on disabling the enemy battleships' cannons while main fleet 2 prioritizes gaining air space dominance and disrupting their carriers! Vanguard fleets! Prioritize busting a hole through their formation in front of us. From there, vanguard fleet 1 and Wales, focus your fire on the enemies in the northeast and vanguard fleet 2 in the southeast!" Shikikan decided as the girls quickly followed suit and enacted his plan of attack.

"Would it alright if I just sink the battleships?" Hornet asked.

"By all means, if you think you can, please do!"

"Sweet! I won't let you down!" Hornet grinned as she launched her planes out and swiftly blew up 2 battleships. "Did you see that Enty?" Hornet asked but noticed that Enterprise had blown up about 10 battleships and was busy already helping main fleet 2 gain air space dominance."

'You really are amazing Sis, but don't think I'll ever give up on catching up to you!' Hornet cheered herself on as she sent more planes out.

'I should be a safe distance away, but let's back up a bit further and keep a close lookout for any stray cannon fire or planes. That said, if this place is important enough to have this many mass-produced ships guarding it, why not just have a Siren elite here too then?' He thought as he had his Manjuu helmsmen reverse his cruiser back a bit further.

In the northeast, Belfast, Helena, and Sheffield easily blasted their way through the Siren mass fleet's hastily made formation.

"Master, we've broken through the formation. Shall we continue to clean up the filth?" Sheffield radioed.

"Yes, go along the northeastern shoreline of the island and clear them out while fleet 2 will go along the southeast. Be mindful of the remaining planes and it'll be our victory once both vanguard fleets meet on the other side of the island after coming full circle.

"As you command, Master." Sheffield acknowledged before signing off and going back to blasting holes through the Siren ships before her.

"Takao, were you able to hear that?" Shikikan asked.

"_Hai!_ We've already begun clearing them out and will meet up with vanguard fleet 1 on the other side!"

"Understood, stay sharp out there." Turning off the radio, he briefly massaged his head. 'So far so good, but gotta stay sharp and calm until the end!' He reminded himself, but as he brought his head back up he saw light particles begin to gather on the shoreline of the island in front of him before two hazy, ethereal figures seemingly formed as the particles flowed around them. The figures were floating about towards the northeastern and southeastern ends of the island, seemingly staring at the combat around them before floating back to the center of the island and directly in front of his ship. Shikikan couldn't say for sure given how far away he was, but for some reason, he felt one set of eyes in particular staring directly at him. 'Maybe I should visit Vestal once I get back on base, because clearly I'm going insane.' He sighed as he rubbed his eyes.

"_Hehehe…"_

"Wha-!?" He exclaimed as he heard an unfamiliar, yet very intimidating laugh. Looking back up, the figures he thought he saw were no longer there. 'Does stress and anxiety lead to hallucinations, or am I really coming down with something?' He asked himself as he felt his forehead.

"Commander, we've cleared out the island's defenders and Helena has confirmed no more hostiles remaining." Enterprise informed.

"O-okay! Good work girls, I'll meet you girls on the island, so take a rest there while I sail in."

"You're sounding jittery Shikikan, so hurry and come to the island so Onee-san can comfort you in her embrace." Atago giggled sweetly.

"I'll have tea ready for your arrival, Master." Belfast added before she materialized her ship and stepped inside.

"Heh, sounds good. See you all in a few." He chuckled.

"_**Hehehe**__…._"

'There it is again, that laugh again, but even scarier sounding than before! Who and where is it coming from!?' He pondered before shuttering and giving the order to sail up to the island's shorelines. Once close enough, he hopped onto his speedboat to where everyone was waiting. Upon arrival he saw that Belfast and Sheffield were serving cups of tea on silver platters to everyone.

"Excellent work Master." Belfast greeted as she handed him a cup of tea on an ornate saucer.

"Thank you, Belfast." He smiled back as he quickly began drinking the very soothing warm cup of jasmine tea.

"So it's confirmed we're clear of enemies for the time being?"

"_Hai_ Shikikan, Zuikaku and I have been scouting around for awhile and have yet to pick up on anything." Shoukaku informed.

"I see…" He wondered as he stared off into the dense forest covering the center of the island. "Um, by the way, did any of you see those two strange moving lights?"

"Lights?" Hornet asked as she hummed in thought. "Nope, I guess I was a bit preoccupied making sure no Sirens got away."

"I didn't see anything either. Are you sure you didn't just imagine it?" Enterprise asked.

"Maybe?" He thought aloud. "If so, then that would help explain the laughter I was hearing too...".

Hearing this, the girls looked at each other in confusion and then at Eugen.

"Don't look at me, I drank the same drink he did and I'm feeling fine." Eugen stated.

"Pardon me Master." Belfast said as she approached him and placed a hand on his head. "You don't seem to have a fever. Are you feeling alright?"

"…Maybe it be best if you lied down for a bit Commander." Wales suggested.

"Onee-san's lap is always available for you Shikikan." Atago smiled.

"Sounds tempting and thank you everyone for your concern, but I think it would be better to just get this mission done ASAP. I'll visit Vestal as soon as we get back but for now, we should probably hurry and investigate the island to make sure I'm not going insane." he half joked.

"If you say so Commander…" Enterprise said sounding a bit unconvinced but decided not to dive in since his logic made sense.

"Alright everyone. Let's split up and search the island. Form groups and see if you could find anything inside the forest that looks out of place. Zuikaku, Shoukaku, Belfast, and Atago, please stand on guard out here while the rest of us go in and search the island."

"Hmm? Are you going in there too Shikikan?" Atago asked.

"Yeah, I figured a walk through the forest would be a good way to clear out my head." He replied.

"It'll be troublesome if you got lost in there, Master, so please allow me to come with." Sheffield stated.

"I'll come with you too Commander, better safe than sorry after all." Enterprise offered.

"I'm feeling safer already. Thanks, Sheffy, Enterprise." He smiled.

"An adventure through the forest? Count me in!" Hornet jumped in.

"W-wait but I kinda wanted to explore it too…." Zuikaku protested.

"Sorry, Zuikaku, I need you to keep a look out with your planes. I'll make it up to you later with a shrimp tempura dinner." He smiled sheepishly as he tried to console her.

"Really!? Alright leave the scouting to me Shikikan!" She quickly cheered up.

"Thanks for your understanding." He chuckled as he thought of how cutely innocent Zuikaku could be. "Eugen, Wales, Takao, and Helena. Could you four form a group and search the right half of the island? Enterprise, Sheffield, Hornet, and I will go left. If you can't find anything, meet up with us on the other side of the island and we'll go from there."

"Aww but walking through an uncharted forest with Shikikan sounds like such an interesting date." Atago whined.

"I agree, why don't you switch me over to your group, _Herr Kommandant_?" Eugen teased.

"I don't know if being with two others in a group can be called a date, Eugen..." Wales commented.

"I'm with Wales on that one." He chuckled. "What say you girls?" He asked as his group and Takao and Helena, only now noticing they all had various shades of reddened cheeks and were avoiding his gaze.

"Um….w-well anyway let's just hurry and get back to base!" He suggested, trying to break the awkward silence.

About twenty minutes into the forest, Shikikan's group found themselves surrounded by nothing but dense trees and bushes.

"Jeez, this forest is way too dense!" Hornet groaned as she had to bob and weave her way through the thicket

"Master, permission to clear a path?"

"Sorry Sheffy, but it will send a mixed message to the others if they start hearing gunfire and trees falling."

"Understood." She complied before an idea popped into her head. "Permission to scout ahead along the tree branches?"

"S-sure?" He stuttered as he was bewildered by the odd request.

Giving him a brief nod, she crouched down and sprung up high into the air and onto a nearby tree branch. From there she proceeded to jump from branch to branch as she moved ahead.

'Oh right…they can do superhuman things like that. Man, I'm jealous…' He deadpanned in his mind before he realized something. "Wait, I can kind of do the same thing!" He said aloud before turning on his rocket shoes and flying up towards the nearest tree branch.

"I totally forgot Akashi gave you those!" Hornet called out before jumping up onto a nearby branch with Enterprise following suit.

"Yeah same." He chuckled before taking a look around. "I think I see a clearing up ahead, let's go!" He announced before flying up high and straight towards the center of the island.

"Race ya there Sis!" Hornet grinned as she ran after him and Sheffield.

"Heh, fine." Enterprise gave in as she too gave chase.

Moving much faster now, Shikikan's team breezed through the thick forest and into the clearing Shikikan spotted.

"W-wow…"

Shikikan was stunned as he saw the tranquil scenery before him. The group had found themselves in a quiet meadow of lilies and in the center was a large tree with a seemingly infinite amount of white cherry blossoms blooming from it.

"This place is almost dreamlike…" Hornet said in awe.

"Yeah…if we weren't on a mission, I'd love to just lie down and relax here." Enterprise admitted.

"Same, but we've got a job to do sadly. Let's search around and see if there's anything Siren related here." He regrettably said as he and his group had split up to look around.

After about fifteen minutes of looking around the meadow, he couldn't seem to see anything of importance to the Sirens, until something sparkled in the corner of his eye.

"Hmm?" He hummed as he approached the tree. When he reached the base of the tree, he saw two sparkling objects buried in white cherry blossom petals. Kneeling down and brushing the petals away, he found two wisdom cubes, each with a single gorgeous flower growing next to it. The flower on the left had bright red spider-like umbel blooms while the flower on the right had six upward facing white petals with azure blue bands in the center.

"What gorgeous flowers…" He openly admired.

"_Hehehe…" _

'That voice again!' He jumped a bit as he looked around but saw no one other than his group members still searching around, seemingly not hearing the voices he heard.

"…_-sama….." _

"Hmm?" Kneeling back down, he looked back at the two wisdom cubes.

'Maybe…' He started before putting both his hands out to touch both cubes. And as soon as he touched them, he felt his energy being instantly sucked out from him.

"Wha-!" He started to shout before he felt himself collapsing onto his side.

'It's like all of my energy just left me…' He thought before the world went dark and he lost his consciousness.

The two cubes began to levitate, shaking vigorously as they floated past Shikikan and glowing bright enough to catch everyone else's attention.

"Commander!"/ "Master!" The girls yelled as they saw him down on the ground and two floating cubes glowing brighter and brighter.

"_Aku zoku san_!" A familiar voice followed by the sound of multiple trees crashing down were heard from behind them.

"What's going on!?" Takao yelled as she had just slashed her way through to where Shikikan's group was."

"What are those bright lights and where's Commander!?" Wales questioned as she appeared next. Not far behind her, were Eugen and Helena.

"Over there!" Helena pointed to the base of the tree.

"Wait, are those wisdom cubes!?" Eugen squinted to get a better look, but she and everyone else had to avert their eyes as the glow from the cubes were blinding.

Once the light faded, they looked up to see two distinct figures standing where the cubes were floating.

The one on the right had short white hair, fox ears, and nine large tails. Her eyes were a deep azure blue and donned an elegant white haori that was blue on the inside.

The one on the right was similar in that she also had fox ears and nine large tails, but her hair was long and darkish brown, her eyes were a deep crimson red, and her haori was black on the outside and red on the inside.

Realizing who they were, she called out to Enterprise. "Sis! They're…!"

"Yeah…the Sakura Empire's first carrier division." Enterprise replied, being very careful not to take her eyes off the two. 'Did they do something to Commander!?' She began to panic as she saw him lifeless on the ground.

"Akagi nee-sama." The short white-haired beauty smiled. "It would seem our fates have changed once more."

"_Ee, _that would appear to be the case, Kaga." Akagi smiled back as she gazed upon the kansen before her.

'Or maybe they didn't? Neither of them seems to have even noticed that he's there yet...' Enterprise thought before putting her guard back up as Akagi began to speak once more.

"Unfortunately, though, there are far too many eyesores here…shall we do some cleaning?" She said with a menacing grin as she materialized her fiery red carrier rigging.

"With pleasure, Akagi-nee sama." Kaga grinned widely as she too summoned her fiery blue rigging.

"W-wait! We're not here to fight!" Wales stepped forward trying to prevent any in-fighting.

"She speaks the truth." Takao added as she also stepped up.

"Ah, Takao, how long has it been?" Akagi greeted warmly.

"Lay down your arms Akagi, Kaga. Azur Lane and Crimson Axis have joined forces and the only enemies now are the Sirens." Takao said, her arm resting on the handle of her blade.

"She seems to be telling the truth, Nee-sama." Kaga said while glaring at Prinz Eugen.

"Ho? So you two finally decided to make your appearances?" Eugen smirked. "Mind filling us in on what exactly you two did to _Herr Kommandant_?"

Seeing how the two fox beauties were confused by her question, Eugen simply pointed behind them. Slowly looking back, they finally noticed that there was indeed someone there.

"Who is this?" Kaga questioned as she crouched down and moved Shikikan's hat out of the way.

Once Kaga did so, Akagi felt as if time had stopped as she immediately recognized his face from what she thought was just a strange dream not too long ago.

In said dream, she was surrounded by nothing but a cold, quiet darkness with no means of escape. As she lied still, waiting for what an eternity to pass by, a flash of light appeared, and she began to the hear the sounds of cannons firing and plane engines roaring through the sky. Looking upwards, she saw what seemed to be kansen fighting against mass-produced ships on an island. At first, she thought nothing of it, but her curiosity grew as she began to decipher the strategies the kansen were utilizing.

'Simple, yet efficient, but they all do seem very well coordinated.' She remarked. 'Who's leading them?' She pondered as she began to look around and eventually noticed a lone ship in the far distance. Leaning in, she somehow managed to get an inside look on who was inside, finding not just any human, but a human with the most striking visage and the most beautiful eyes she had ever laid eyes upon.

'Finally!' She thought since for the first time in what felt like forever, Akagi felt herself smiling from cheek to cheek and heard herself laughing with sheer joy as she continued watching the man trek through a forest and into a peaceful looking meadow. Walking forward, the man had stopped at the base of a large shikizakura tree and bent down to admire two flowers she knew all too well.

"What beautiful flowers…." She heard the man say before she found herself in the very same meadow the man was in.

Coming back to reality, Akagi began to pant heavily as her heart throbbed uncontrollably, almost as if it were threatening to burst open. She felt a rising warmth well up inside of her as her soul felt as if it were being released from the cold, lonely darkness she had come to know all too well.

"Nee-sama?" Kaga questioned as she saw heard Akagi walking up to kneel next to her and the man's head.

Reaching out, Akagi carefully brushed away some of his hair covering his closed eyes and traced her fingers down his cheek. "So precious, I can't help but want to look at your face forever." She spoke softly as she slowly leaned her head in closer.

Feeling a tingling sensation on his face, Shikikan's face twitched before he managed to open his eyes. The first thing he saw though was something he would've never expected.

When he had opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a pair of very close fiery crimson red eyes seemingly staring intensely into his very soul.

"Such wonderful eyes…. We finally meet at last Shikikan-sama. I am the glorious Akagi, the pride of the peerless First Carrier Division. With my famed air wing, I shall overcome any battle as long as you are with me. Yes, Shikikan-sama, as long as we are together..." She declared while caressing his cheeks and grinning in a way that was slightly unsettling to Shikikan.

"N-nice to meet you Akagi…" He nervously smiled back before turning his head and noticing there was another unfamiliar face.

Nodding her head at him, Kaga introduced herself. "I am Kaga, also from the First Carrier Division." She briefly introduced herself before looking behind her at the other kansen and then at the cloudy skies.

"Will I be able to find a worthy foe here?" She questioned aloud before turning back around to \stare intently at him, almost as if she were judging a showpiece in an art contest. After a few seconds, she nodded her head. "Very well. I'm yours. Perhaps this, too, is destiny."

'How am I supposed to respond to that?' He jokingly questioned in his mind. "I'm glad to meet you as well Kaga." He smiled.

"Commander! You're awake." Enterprise called out as she and everyone made there way to him.

"Master, are you alright? You collapsed onto the ground right before these two appeared." Sheffield added.

"I..I think so….I just remember losing all of my energy when I touched the cubes and then everything going black. How long was I out?"

"Less than five minutes, but you said you lost all of your energy?" A puzzled Hornet asked.

"Yeah, I don't really know either..." He honestly replied.

"I've never heard of anything like that before, maybe we should ask Akashi or High Command and see if they know anything." Enterprise suggested.

"Yeah, that probably would be for the best." He said as he tried getting up but ended up stumbling and accidentally grabbing onto two very soft and fluffy things.

"Ahh! Shikikan-sama!" Akagi moaned as Shikikan had unknowingly pulled on one of her tails.

"…." Kaga blushed as Shikikan had also grabbed onto one of her tails.

'So soft and fluffy…wait no!' He quickly shook his head out of the gutter. "S-sorry! It wasn't on purpose! I just tripped! I swear!" He pleaded as he released their tails.

"Not at all Shikikan-sama! If you so desire, I would not mind if you partake of me in front of all the others!" She loudly exclaimed, earning surprised blushes from everyone.

"A-akagi! Please have some decency!" Takao yelled as she began to remember how much alike Atago and Akagi could be at times.

"Master….please refrain from indecent and lewd acts in publics, lest I have to discipline you for subjecting your subordinates to exhibitionism." Sheffield threatened as she pulled out her guns.

"W-wait Sheffy! I swear it was just an accident!" He pleaded.

As he pleaded for his life, an undetected alien-like drone hovered high above the stratosphere.

"Subject Zero, the Anomaly, has managed to break through the guard and managed to successfully reawakened both Akagi and Kaga. Subject seems fatigued but is still capable of moving. Subject's wisdom cube affinity level now normalized." A small, pale girl spoke. "Congratulations Purifier, your earlier failure has provided us with some rather interesting new data."

"Tsk…As if that does anything for me after what Arbiter put me through…." Another taller pale girl wearing a serafuku shirt and booty shorts grumbled.

"You did, after all, let her favorite toy and our most useful lab rat get away." Snickered a third pale girl with wild overflowing hair.

"Oh, shut it…"

"Pay her no heed Purifier. I'm about to commence the next experiment for our favorite subject and could use your help." The small girl smirked.

"Now we're talking!" Purifier exclaimed excitedly as her eyes glowed bright yellow and a very unsettling grin was forming on her face. "Looks like I'll get to pay that lab rat back for all of the trouble he put me through earlier than I expected." She laughed maniacally as she left to begin her preparations.

"Tester, has the invasion force for _that_ matter been completed yet?"

"Not yet, Observer, although production is approximately 96.9% completed and will be ready to be placed on standby come nightfall."

"Excellent." Observer remarked before turning back to the screen before her. "Do continue to provide us with high quality data, my most precious and adorable test subject….or is it Shikikan now?"

* * *

**Wooh! Things are starting to look pretty serious for our Shikikan! As you can tell, things might get a bit darker in the coming chapter(s), so I might have to change the rating to 'M' depending on how I want to go about this. I don't if it'll matter, but remember to change the rating filter to 'all' just in case I do change it to 'M' since you might struggle in finding this story, let alone the next chapter. **

**Worst case scenario, I'll just leave it as 'T' rating when I post the next chapter. If someone says/complains that it should be listed as 'M', I'll do it in the next chapter after this upcoming one and post the update warning there haha. **

**That all said, thank you again for all of the support and advice y'all have been giving me and this story! I enjoy reading your comments and hope y'all will continue to enjoy this story as much as I still enjoy writing it! **

**Remember to fav/follow if you like the story and haven't already and I'll see y'all next time on Azur Lane fanfic: An Unsung Legend Chapter 13: "Unyielding Chaos" **


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Unyielding Chaos**

**Like I mentioned at the end of the last chapter, this chapter and most likely the next one(s) are going to be a bit darker. That said:**

**Warning!: This chapter contains minor graphic violence and suggestive themes.**

**One last side note: Thanks again so, so much for all of the favs, follows, and overall support! I hope y'all enjoy this chapter and the many more to come! :D**

* * *

"**Don't let yourself be blinded by fear or anger. Everything is only as it is." – Nui, Mushishi**

* * *

"Commander, the entire clearing has been swept and nothing related to the Sirens has shown."

"I see….thanks Wales." Shikikan replied before turning to face his latest additions. "Akagi, Kaga, by any chance, did either of you see or hear any strange lights or noises before waking up?"

Looking at each briefly before answering, Kaga replied. "_Ee_, that might have been us."

Hearing this, Shikikan tilted his head with a quizzical look on his face. "What do you mean?"

"Every so often, Kaga and I would find each other in that void. We were able to speak freely with each other, but only briefly before seeing and hearing nothing once more." Akagi explained with a sad smile before walking up towards Shikikan and grasping both of his hands with her own. "But thanks to you, we are freed from such a tragic fate! _Hontōni,arigatōgozaimashita_, Shikikan-sama." She thanked him as she brightened up and smiled sweetly at him.

"I didn't really think too much when I was reaching out to touch the wisdom cubes, but I'm glad I did." He admitted. "I'm not sure if this is right thing to say, but welcome back Akagi. Kaga." He smiled warmly at the two fox beauties.

[Affinity up! x2]

"Shikikan-samaaaa! Akagi sung as she wrapped both her arms around his left with hearts practically bubbling out of her head as her tails wagged happily.

"You're a strange one Shikikan…" Kaga replied albeit with a ghost of a blush as she unexplainably couldn't seem to look him in the eye for the moment.

"Well now that the mystery of the lights and noises is solved (?), let's head on back to base and report our findings." Shikikan suggested.

"Yes sir!" Everyone said as they all began their journey back.

"Allow me to escort you back to your ship, Shikikan-sama!" Akagi tugged on his arm.

"T-thanks Akagi, but I think I'll be fine…"

"I insist Shikikan-sama! You did just faint, so please allow Akagi to assist you!" She smiled sweetly before leaning in and whispering into his ear. "Unless….you had, perhaps, hoped to do this with _someone else_? Surely that wouldn't be the case…. _right Shikikan-sama_?" She asked in a rather terrifying tone, sending chills done his spine as he vigorously shook his head no.

"I'm so happy Shikikan-sama understands Akagi has only the most loving of intentions! Now then let us go!" She cheered as she began dragging him back through the clearing Takao had made earlier.

"I see Akagi's still the same as ever." Eugen remarked.

"_Iie, _her bootl-, ahem, Akagi nee-sama's overbearing tendencies seem to be in overdrive when with Shikikan." Kaga replied.

"Ho? Is that jealousy? Need someone to lean on?" Eugen smirked.

"Tsk….I should have figured you'd be no different since then either." Kaga sighed.

"So cruel! And here I thought we could finally be friends instead of just pretending like we were back then." Eugen said as she pretended to shed a tear.

"As much of the actress as ever I see…" Kaga sighed once more as she pinched the bridge of her nose before following after Akagi and Shikikan with Eugen happily tagging along.

The rest of the girls, all except for two who remained behind for a minute, started their trek back.

"…What do you think Enterprise?" Wales asked.

"…I'm not too sure, they don't seem like they want to harm Commander, but just in case, let's keep a close eye out on them for the time being."

"Better safe than sorry huh?" Hornet said with her arms behind her head.

"Agreed." Wales nodded before the two of them set off.

[With Shikikan]

'Did someone get annoyed and start cutting down trees on their way to that meadow?' Shikikan questioned as he was having an easier time walking through the forest. "Hey Akagi, can I ask you some questions?" He asked, taking advantage of the opportunity.

"_Hai_ Shikikan-sama?" Akagi asked with a happy smile as her arms were entwined with his as they walked arm in arm. Knowing he had no choice but to accept, he gratefully enjoyed the soft sensation, but he still had some questions for the kitsune.

"How did you and Kaga end up on this island in the first place?"

Taking a moment to think, Akagi replied. "I don't know the exact details and I don't think Kaga would either, but after we were…defeated in the war…., both of us just found ourselves surrounded in that darkness." A melancholic smile shown on her face.

Now feeling bad for souring her mood, he apologized. "Sorry for bringing up the past, Akagi, I should've been more consider-"

He was shushed when Akagi brought a single finger up to his lips.

"No need for apologies, Shikikan-sama, Akagi is just happy to have reawakened with Kaga by my side and to have met the one I'm fated to be with." She cuddled up against his arm, squeezing it more deeply into her heavenly soft valley.

Blushing heavily from the wonderful feeling, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "S-so, um, Kaga is your sister, right?"

"_Hai_, while not related by blood, we've been with each other since practically the very beginning, back when times were simpler and Amagi nee-sama was…." Akagi trailed off as she looked off blankly into the distance in front of them.

"Amagi..?" He questioned aloud. 'Another sister perhaps? I wonder what she looks like…'

Noticing she was zoned out, she quickly tried to change to subject. "Never mind that Shikikan-sama, I was just mumbling to myself aloud, but enough about me, tell Akagi all about yourself!" She smiled.

'…Seems like this 'Amagi' is a sensitive topic for her, so I should leave it at that…for now at least.' He concluded before returning her smile. "Sure, what do you want to know?"

"Hmm….what did Shikikan-sama do before joining the navy?"

'I should've seen that coming….' He smiled somberly. "Sorry Akagi, my memories from then are pretty bleak."

Hearing this, Akagi abruptly stopped walking and stared straight into his eyes.

"Akagi?" A confused Shikikan asked.

"Hmm…you don't seem to be lying…did something happen to cause you to lose your memories?" Akagi guessed spot on.

"To put it shortly, yeah…it's kind of a long story so let's get back on my ship first and I'll tell you on our way back to the base."

Akagi seemed to have wanted to know now, but she decided to respect his wishes. "…As you wish, Shikikan-sama."

"Thanks, Akagi." He smiled gratefully before a thought popped into his head. "By the way, not that I'm not glad that you trust me or anything, but what convinced you that I wasn't lying?"

"Oh, Shikikan-sama," She giggled as her tails began to curl around him. "Akagi loves you so, so you can never hide anything from me. Your eyes are also so honest and clear of any ill will." She proclaimed while a tail brushed gently against his face. "It was, without a doubt, love at first sight."

Hearing her sudden, bold confession, he blushed profusely as his mind shut down. Not knowing how to respond, he shyly looked away.

"Ara," She grinned, "It seems that it's not just Shikikan-sama's eyes that are honest, _O kawaii koto_~ " She teased as more of her tails began to curl around him.

'This soft fluffiness is out of the world…' He blushed as he was about to stroke one of her tails that draped over his shoulder.

"Sorry for interrupting Commander, but It looks like we are about to arrive on the shore." Enterprise pointed out as she had appeared behind him and the kitsune.

"Tsk… could you have interrupted us at a worser time?" Akagi scowled. "Shikikan-sama was just about to enrapture himself in my loving embrace."

"I'm sorry?" Enterprise half questioned, half apologized before turning to face Shikikan. "Do you need Main Fleet 1 to write a battle report, Commander?"

"Nope, I was able to have a good view of both fleets from where I was, so my personal report should suffice when I report back to Victo-Vice Admiral Victoria. I'll have Hornet and Eugen replace you and Belfast for scouting duty, so go ahead and take a rest until we get back to base."

"But I'm fine to continue scouting though." Enterprise complained.

"I know, but Vestal and Belfast have been telling me about how you haven't been resting properly?"

"…" Enterprise shyly looked away at the mention of her guardian and friend.

'Aw, cute…' Shikikan chuckled. "I trust that you know yourself best, but for the sake of them, the fleet, and myself, please do take care of yourself more. It would be a shame if you got hurt because you were overly tired and end up worrying everyone."

"Yeah, you're probably right…" Enterprise wavered.

"Plus, it would save you from a potential scolding from Vestal." He joked.

"Heh, you're definitely right about that." She giggled. "Thanks for looking out for me, Commander."

"Anytime." He smiled back.

"…You two seem to be having quite a bit of fun…." Akagi commented, releasing a not so pleasant aura as her tails were snaking around Shikikan and her grip on his arm tightened.

"Um…Akagi….is everything alright?" Shikikan hesitantly asked.

"It was….until a certain pest showed up…." Akagi grumbled.

"Akagi…we're on the same side now, can't we at least try to get along?" Enterprise sighed.

"You seem to be mistaking Shikikan-sama's side for the same side, Grey Ghost." Akagi scowled as she released her grip to stand before Enterprise. "I won't tolerate you trying to steal Shikikan-sama."

"I'm not trying to steal anyone away, Akagi. Are you still that hung up over your defeat?" Enterprise retorted as she held her ground.

"Why you..!" Akagi flared as her eyes screamed bloody murder.

'Maybe I should've asked Victoria more about the previous war...' Shikikan thought as he felt out of the loop as tension rose between the two carriers. 'I'd prefer not having to sound harsh with the girls, but I don't think being soft here will do any good, especially in the long run.' He took a deep breath before deciding to quickly put out the fire.

"Okay, okay, let's stop with the hostilities. I don't know exactly what happened between you two, but right now we are all on the same team and need to work together if we want to stand a chance against….them." He stepped in between the two. "I don't expect you two to magically become friends, but at least stay professional while out on a mission, otherwise, I won't be convinced that either of you are mature enough for any future ones."

That seemed to have done the trick as both stopped glaring at each other to stare at him in shock.

"Enterprise, you had me in the first half to be honest, but the way you worded that second part was bad. And Akagi, I understand that it's hard to believe that your enemy back then is now your ally, but it just goes to show how dire the situation is right now, so please try not to stir up trouble."

"Understood…" They both lamented before continuing to walk back with as much distance between them as the path Takao made would allow.

"Maybe that was a bit too harsh…" Shikikan thought aloud as he continued walking, feeling kind of bad seeing how dejected the two seemed.

"Fret not, Shikikan." A voice revealing to be Kaga replied as she walked up next to him. "Nee-sama is not one to be done in by mere words."

"Thanks, Kaga." He smiled weakly.

"To be honest, I'm rather impressed with how you willingly stepped in and actually managed to stop them."

"I kinda surprised myself too, but I get how Akagi's either seemingly unconvinced or plainly disappointed about being allies with Enterprise. I guess it's just something they'll either have to work on themselves or something I'll need to help them with later on."

"My opinion on you has improved quite a bit, Shikikan. Your intuition is sharp, and your judgements are sound." Kaga complimented.

"Did I come off as that unreliable?" Shikikan laughed awkwardly.

"Hehe, perhaps. Seeing you collapsed on the ground sound asleep wasn't what I'd expect from a commanding officer, let alone as a good first impression." Kaga chuckled.

'She's got a point…but why did I faint when I touched their cubes specifically? The other cubes didn't sap all of my energy, so why did theirs?' He pondered. 'I'll have to visit Akashi or Yuubari later to find some answers.'

"Shikikan, if you keep looking at me like that, you'll be eaten up."

Snapped out of his thoughts, he found himself staring intently at a smirking Kaga. "S-sorry about that, I was just thinking about some things." He blushed. "By the way, how do you feel about all of this?"

"Me? Let's see…" She hummed as she put her hand on her chin in a thinking pose. "I'm somewhat like-minded as Nee-sama, but I see this more of as an opportunity to test my strength against the strongest members of the other factions." She replied with a rather wild and excited grin.

"Just to be clear, you meant in exercises and training, and not in friendly fire…right?" He sweat-dropped as he stopped walking.

Instead of replying, Kaga opted to just smirking slyly at him before walking on ahead.

'I should probably keep an eye on her and Akagi for the time being…'

"You've got your work cut out for you, Commander." Wales spoke as she appeared on his right side. "But from what I've seen, I'm convinced you're more than capable."

"Thanks Wales. Want to walk the rest of the way back with me?"

"I accept, but I'll have to teach you later how to properly request something of a lady for next time." She chuckled as the two continued walking and chatting away until they finally arrived where the others were waiting, and tensions were rising once more.

"Wow! Well if it isn't Akagi-senpai and Kaga-senpai! I'm _so_ glad to see that you've decided to grace us with your presence! I hope your beauty sleep was prosperous and pleasant!" Shoukaku said with a fake smile and a mocking tone.

"Ara, Shoukaku, I'm _so_ glad to see you are still alive and well. Have you become a viable asset to the Sakura Empire yet? I sure do hope the 5th carrier division hasn't continued being utterly disgraceful since Kaga and I left!" Akagi smirked with a condescending tone.

"Not at all, Akagi-senpai! While the 1st carrier division was enjoying their slumber, Zuikaku and I had to man the fort, so it's safe to say we've grown and gotten much stronger, perhaps to even where the 5th carrier division outperforms the 1st!" Shoukaku boldly taunted.

"Ho, so you're saying that the 5th carrier division has finally amounted to something? I would love to see how well that holds true." Kaga stepped in and challenged.

"Seniors and juniors….they're all such a pain…" Zuikaku sighed as she too stepped in.

"….Guess I'll put out the fire. It was fun chatting with you Wales." Shikikan sighed as he walked over to the four arguing carriers.

"You sure do have it rough, Commander." Wales smiled sympathetically as she saw him off.

"Should we go help him?" Hornet asked Enterprise and Belfast as they saw Shikikan walking over to the commotion.

"Judging from Master's expression, I would assume he has a plan, but just in case…" Belfast replied as she remained on standby, ready to step in at a moment's notice and Enterprise following suit.

"Hey Zuikaku!" Shikikan called out as he stepped over to the two arguing carrier divisions.

"Shikikan? What's up?" Zuikaku asked, surprised to hear he called for her specifically.

"Instead of a tempura dinner, how about a tempura lunch instead? I noticed that my ship's kitchen is pretty well stocked for lunch and, if I'm being honest, I'm kinda craving some myself right now." He chuckled as he shyly rubbed the back of his head. "Instead of arguing, how about an early lunch as we make our way back to base?"

"Oh! Really!?" A hungry-eyed Zuikaku asked excitedly.

"Shikikan, you cook?" A doubtful eyed Kaga questioned.

"_Hai_, Shikikan's cooking is on par with that of what you'd expect from an acclaimed chef if not better." Shoukaku answered.

"That's a bit of a stretch…" Shikikan sweat dropped.

"…."

"Nee-sama…?" Kaga questioned when Akagi was eerily quiet and had a shocked look on her face.

Seeing this as an opportunity, Shoukaku acted. "Hmm? Akagi-senpai? Are you perhaps jealous that Zuikaku and I have received the honor of having Shikikan's cooking not once, not twice, but numerous times now while you've had none?"

"W-what!? W-why you obscene pheasant!" Akagi hissed as her tails flared up, but she was quickly brought to a halt as Shikikan boldly put a hand on her head.

"Now, now you two." He said as he put his other hand on Shoukaku's head." You two can fight each other later in a carrier training exercise, but for now, please play nice and save your energy in case of any enemy ambushes."

"Fine…" Shoukaku pouted as she let Shikikan continue to pat her head, a feeling she wasn't used to, but not something she would be against from time to time.

"Ahh…Shikikan-samaaaa….~" Akagi moaned as she openly enjoyed his touch, her tails wagging vigorously and her ears twirling about in delight.

'He….He actually managed to stop them….' Everyone thought as they watched on from afar.

"Shikikan-samaaaaa, she might not show it, but Kaga would enjoy this just as much as I do~" Akagi sung as she pulled Kaga closer to them.

Looking up at Shikikan, Kaga blushed. "N-no, I'm f-fine."

'Tsundere? No..kuudere maybe?' Shikikan thought as he moved his other hand away from Shoukaku to pat Kaga's head.

"!….You _really_ are a strange one, Shikikan." Kaga spoke as she looked away, hiding what she thought and felt was a rising and heavy blush.

Over by the sidelines…

"It's like watching someone train their new pets…" Hornet commented aloud, earning a stifled laugh from everyone except for Shoukaku, Akagi, and Kaga. Giving her rather peeved glances, much to her dismay, Hornet stepped behind a confused Enterprise.

"Well? What are we waiting for then!? Let's go!" Zuikaku asked excitedly when he stopped patting the two fox beauties. Grabbing his hand, she rushed towards the cruiser's kitchen with him in tow.

"Shikikan-samaaa~, Akagi will help ~."Akagi announced as she quickly followed after them.

"…The humility aside, I'm surprised Akagi nee-sama isn't more upset that Shikikan was taken from her." Kaga commented.

"Is it because she doesn't see Zuikaku as a threat to her?" Shoukaku questioned before she found herself and Kaga talking a bit more amicably in that they were not at each other's throats this time.

'So they _can_ get along…' Shikikan thought when he glanced back with a relieved smile.

"Wait…." Zuikaku said as she quickly brought herself, and in turn Shikikan, to a screeching halt.

"Hm? Something wrong?" He asked.

"I just lost contact with one of my scout planes…" Zuikaku admitted before looking around with a rather serious expression.

"Eh!? Commander!" Helena cried out loud as she caught his and everyone else's attention. "A massive fleet of mass-produced Siren ships has just appeared from our south and are headed here now!".

His smile completely gone and replaced with an unexplainable bad feeling swelling up inside of him, Shikikan took a deep breath and donned a serious expression.

"How long do we have until contact, Helena?" He asked.

"I'd say a little under twenty minutes, Commander. What shall we do?" Helena asked, worried for many different reasons.

"Enterprise! Shoukaku!" He called out to his fleet flagships.

"Sir!/ Hai!" They replied as they rushed towards him with everyone else forming a circle around him.

"How are we all doing on ammo?"

"Fleet 1's used about 20% of our total stock." Enterprise informed. "More than enough to deal with the new enemies in my opinion."

"Same goes for Fleet 2, Shikikan." Shoukaku added.

'Alright, so we don't need to make a break for it…It probably would be best to rid this part of the ocean of that fleet while we can.' He concluded as he brainstormed for a few seconds before making his decision.

"Both fleets prepare for interception! Get into positions on the double!"

"Yes sir!" They all said in various variations before summoning their rigging and rushing towards the ocean.

As he too got back on his speedboat and steered off towards his ship, Akagi and Kaga appeared on his left and right respectively as they skated alongside him.

"What of us Shikikan? Shall we join the fray as well?" Kaga asked.

"Not yet. For now, come back with me and remain on standby on my ship until either fleet is looking worse for wear. Not that I doubt your combat potentials, but I've yet to see your synergies with everyone let alone have a look at the gear you have on."

"Understood." They both nodded before the three of them made their way inside towards the commander center.

"Everyone's in position, Master." Belfast informed via radio.

"Thank you, Belfast." He replied as he picked up his radio. "Anyone have any visuals?"

"N-Wait, my planes are spotting movement in the southeast and southwest!" Zuikaku informed.

"SG's picking up two large mass-produced fleets merging into one massive one, Commander! About 20 carriers and 30 battleships escorted by about six dozen cruisers coming in fast!" Helena added.

'Tsk, is there normally this many patrolling random parts of the sea or is this all premeditated?' Shikikan frowned as he felt his nerves rile up as he couldn't help but get a familiar bad feeling about all this. Shaking himself back to reality he gave his orders.

"If they are fusing together, then that plays in our favor. Fleet 1 go around and flank them from the southeast, while Fleet 2 flanks the southwest. Both main fleets, prioritize their carriers' flight decks and their battleships' main cannons. We're overwhelmingly outnumbered so prevent their backline from launching anything ASAP. From there, work with the vanguard fleets and sink their cruisers before moving on their main fleet. Remember that you're not 100% fully loaded so be wary of your ammo and don't go for kills you can't get in a guaranteed one shot!"

"Yes sir!" They all quickly followed his orders and went off.

"Change of plans, Akagi, Kaga." He turned to face the two fox beauties.

"What shall you have us do, Shikikan-sama?"

"From here, launch your planes and have them attack that fleet from the front. That'll serve as a distraction while the others get into position. Once both fleets launch their attacks, push in until everyone meets in the center of their fleet."

"Alright, but what about you Shikikan? Won't you be defenseless if a plane sneaks in or a cruiser gets a lucky shot on you?" Asked Kaga.

"From this distance, the Manjuus manning the AA gun and steering the ship should be able to react fast enough as long as we keep a sharp eye out. Plus, I trust you and Akagi." He smiled.

"Shikikan-sama! Akagi won't disappoint!" She proclaimed before quickly heading out.

"And no friendly fire!" He called out, barely managing to hear a 'tsk' from Akagi before no longer being able to hear her.

"The 1st carrier division shall not disappoint. Look forward to our victory and their entire fleet slaughtered." Kaga grinned, giving off a thirst for blood vibe before following after Akagi.

'Maybe she and Akagi aren't so different after all.' He joked nervously before turning towards the monitors. 'From this distance I should be able to oversee everything, but just in make sure…' He thought before radioing his Manjuu crew. "Keep an eye out for any stragglers heading our way and load up the cannon just in case.'

_Chirp! _

"Now, here's to hoping this is all just a highly unfortunate coincidence and not part of something bigger…" He gulped out loud.

[Minutes into the battle with Akagi and Kaga]

"My love is invincible! Ahaha... ahahaha!" Akagi laughed as she launched multiple dive and torpedo bombers, quickly destroying five cruisers.

"Only the strong may survive on the battlefield!" Kaga followed up with her own bombers and blew up an additional five cruisers. "Their numbers are many, but they lack any laudable strength."

"Ey, what do you say we move onwards towards their backline, Kaga? It's been so long since we've last indulged ourselves in any action." Akagi smirked.

"My thoughts exactly." Kaga grinned before the two advanced forth, their bloodlust seemingly radiating murderous and excited intent.

On the southeastern front, Fleet 1 led by Enterprise quickly subdued the carriers and shot down the few planes already in the air before advancing forth and destroying the enemy battleships' turrets. The vanguard fleet led by Belfast swiftly danced around and sunk the cruisers around them before blasting through the battleships' hulls, sinking them as well.

"This is going surprisingly well!" Hornet grinned as she managed to sink two more battleships.

"It seems like Commander had Akagi and Kaga attack from the front, making this now a three-pronged assault. No wonder their chain of command is in disarray, they have no idea which front to prioritize." Enterprise praised as she bombed and sunk four disabled carriers.

"This must be how Javelin and her friends felt when they fought us. Commander's strategies are thoroughly remarkable." Wales added before blasting away at three defenseless battleships.

"They're thinning out, let's move in!" Enterprise ordered as Main fleet 1 blasted their way through.

On the opposite side (the southwestern front), Fleet 2 had completely wiped out the enemy carriers and were now focused on disabling the enemy battleships while the vanguard slices and blasts through the cruisers in their way.

"_Herr Kommandant_ sure does know how to turn the tides. I can't tell if I should be glad or disappointed though. I'm almost bored just sinking these pitiful eyesores." Eugen yawned as her rigging chomped through cruiser after cruiser as her shields stopped any shots dead in its tracks.

"As much I disapprove your lackadaisical attitude, I will admit this is far easier than I expected." Takao replied as she easily sliced through a whole cruiser sending it deep into the ocean.

"Shoukaku and Zuikaku seem to have finished up disabling their carriers, so let's hurry and meet up with Fleet 1 in the center. Onee-san misses the sensation of having Shikikan in her arms." Atago giggled as she sunk four cruisers with a flurry of torpedoes.

About fifteen minutes later, both fleets and the 1st carrier division all met up in the center, where albeit one heavily damaged battleship on its last legs remained.

"Just one more ship to go then." Sheffield said before dealing the finishing blow and sinking said battleship.

"And that's that!" Hornet cheered as she stretched her arms out.

"Not the most exhilarating fight, but I guess it counts as a workout." Eugen joined in.

"Good work everyone!" Shikikan complimented from behind as his cruiser was sailing up with him standing on the bow. "Now le-wait…EVERYONE BEHIND YOU! GET OUT!" Shikikan yelled via radio as he managed to see something flying at the group. "Manjuus! Hard to port NOW!" He yelled his orders at the Manjuu as they quickly obeyed and turned the ship as far left as they could.

Turning around, they noticed a giant bright beam heading straight for them! Jumping out of the way, the beam continued to roar forth past the girls and Shikikan's ship, releasing a huge cloud of smoke and a deafening explosion as it made contact with the island they were just on. Once the smoke disappeared, everyone went wide-eye as the island was divided in half as the beam had seemingly annihilated everything in the center of the island.

'What the hell was that?' Shikikan asked as he hung onto the bow railing and stared in shock before turning to face where the beam came from. When he saw the source, he felt his heart stop, his mind shut down, and an unexplainable mixture of feelings boiling inside of him. His knuckles turned white as his grip on the railing kept tightening and as he found it increasingly difficult to breath properly.

"Awww, I missed! How lame." A voice whined.

As everyone else turned to face where the voice came from, they all immediately recognized who it was.

"Heyoooo! Guess this isn't all that bad since I get to have more fun now! Did ya miss me?" The voice laughed.

"Purifier….." Enterprise scowled at the revealed Siren, infamous for her extremely violent and borderline psychotic tendencies.

"Ah! If it isn't the hero of the Eagle Union!" Purifier taunted as she had a rather unsettling grin and glowing yellow eyes. "You especially have been causing us a lot of trouble, so here's my chance to get rid of you!"

Hearing this, everyone tensed up even more, ready at the drop of a hat to blast Purifier sky high.

"…Is what I would say buttttttttttt….." Purifier trailed off as her eyes wandered past them towards a lone cruiser in the near distance. "I'm here on some rather important business, you know? Our favorite lab rat decided to escape a few weeks ago, you see…." She paused once more as her unsettling grin widened ever so creepily. "And that lab rat is that human right there!" She pointed directly at Shikikan, who was motionless and did not seem to meet her gaze.

"What did you just say?" Akagi asked in a very low tone.

"Oh? Didn't you know?" Purifier asked as she turned to face the two kitsune. "Well, I guess I can't blame ya since you both just awakened."

"….Know what?" Kaga calmly asked, albeit with multiple paper plane talismans ready to be thrown at a moment's notice in her hand.

Grinning ever so distastefully, Purifier spoke. "That your new 'Shikikan' over there was originally just a captured human turned lab rat for all of our fun experiments and tests!" She laughed as she faced Shikikan once more. "Isn't that right, Anomaly?"

Hearing the code name they forced onto him, Shikikan's mind began to flash back to everything that happened on the worst day of his life. The pained, agonizing screams of the people there back then deafened his ears. The sights of all the burnt, crushed, and bloodied bodies and the endless fires engulfing everything on that island blinded his eyes. And worst of all, the violent rush of fury, fear, and pure hatred engulfed his mind to the point where he felt his legs give way.

"Master!" Belfast and Sheffield cried out when they saw that Shikikan had dropped to his knees, one hand clutching onto the side of the railing _hard_ and the other cradling his head, seemingly trying to calm the chaos in his head.

"Oh no you don't!" Purifier yelled as she stopped them in their tracks with two small lasers erupting the waters before them. "That lab rat over there owes me! It's because of you running away that Empress decided to put me through a wringer!" She spat venomously before her psychotic smile returned. "If you thought the experiments we put you through were bad, wait 'til I get my hands on you! I've always been curious as to what you human's melting point is ahahaha!" She laughed sadistically.

"But…..tell you all what…." Purifier smirked as she gazed back at the kansen before her. "You see, I wanna hurry and pay him back for all of trouble he put me though. So…, bring that lab rat over to me and I'll let you all live! Not a bad deal right!?"

Upon hearing this, a deafening silence swept over the area as shadows casted over the kansens' eyes. The tension in the air was suffocating as they all felt their anger beginning to boil over.

"Well?" Purifier hurriedly asked.

The first to reply was none other than Akagi.

"So, if I understand this correctly, you kidnapped Shikikan-sama, tortured him relentlessly for years on end, and are now asking for us to sacrifice him? She didn't look Purifier in the eyes, but her tone was utterly terrifying as her tails were seemingly beginning to flare up.

"Pretty much, so what do you say?" Purifier grinned as she leaned in, eagerly waiting for an answer.

"What do I say? Well let's see…" Akagi started before her tails and rigging ignited into hellish flames as she looked at the Siren with nightmarishly dark eyes. "Sink to the bottom of the sea you insufferable insect!" She yelled as she threw five red paper plane talismans at the Siren.

"Ahaha! How'd I know you w—!" Purifier laughed as she simply stepped to the side to avoid the planes, but was brought to a halt as she turned her head back to face Akagi, who had quickly closed the distance between them and had slammed a very heavy roundhouse kick to Purifier's face, sending her flying along the ocean surface a good fifty meters away.

"Kaga! Hurry and help me clean up this filth! I can't stand to see Shikikan-sama suffering all alone over there!" Akagi yelled before dashing right after Purifier.

"_Hai_!" Kaga quickly followed, her intent to kill more than apparent.

"Tsk…and here I was about to _torment_ her and burn the evidence…" Atago muttered darkly as she sheathed her blade. "Takao-chan, please check on Shikikan. Onee-san needs to go help _clean_." She requested before dashing to where Purifier landed.

"Belfast, as a Royal Maid, I shall oversee that the cleaning is done _properly_." Sheffield announced as she was about to follow after them.

"Wait, Sheffy. I understand how you feel, believe me, but prioritizing Master's well-being comes first." Belfast said with a gentle hand on Sheffield's shoulder. Doing her best to not show her anger on her face, Sheffield disgruntledly complied.

"As much as I want to feed Purifier to my rigging, she's right about _Herr Kommandant_. Some of us should go and check on him while the rest of us help scrap Purifier." Eugen suggested, her sense of humor gone for the time being.

"Agreed." Everyone said in unison.

"Then let's-" Eugen was about to continue before a voice interrupted via radio.

"…I'm f-fine…go help get rid of…..Purifier." The voice revealing himself to be Shikikan, seemingly out of breath.

"You say that but…." Hornet trailed off as she looked over to see Shikikan still kneeling on the bow of the ship, one hand clutching the radio and the other still cradling his head.

"I-it's nothing…just some unpleasant flashbacks." He replied as he stopped clutching his head to grab onto the railing, using it as a support to help him get back to his feet.

Taking a few deep breaths, he managed to steady himself. "As much as I'd hate to admit it, it's going to take a combined effort from everyone if we want to take her down. Like the other Sirens, she's overly confident in herself, but I'm convinced that she didn't come alone. Stand clear of her main laser cannon and go for her rigging first. I'll do what I can to monitor the area just in case any other Sirens decide to appear, so just focus on Purifier for the time being."

"Alright,…but Commander, at least let Helena help you monitor the area then. Sorry for this, but I'm worried your current state of mind might affect your commanding abilities." Enterprise reasoned.

"I agree with Enterprise, Commander, let me and my SG radar help you." Helena added.

"…Alright, come back to my ship, and let's work together, Helena." He tried to smile but couldn't seem to do it.

"Stay safe everyone." Helena nodded before dashing off. "I'll be right there Commander!"

"Shikikan, forgive me for this, but it be wiser to err on the side of caution. Please allow me to act as your guard."

"No, that won't be—" He tried to say.

"Necessary? Of course, it is Shikikan! Whether or not she meant it, she still offered to let _us_ go if we turned _you_ in!" Shoukaku argued.

"I agree with her _Herr Kommandant_. Knowing Purifier, she wouldn't opt to let us kansen, the ones able to fight them head on, go so easily in favor of just one human. You're definitely of significant value to them _Herr Kommandant_." Eugen reasoned.

"That all being said, Master, please take yourself into consideration more. I believe I speak for everyone when I say this but losing such a capable commander such as yourself would be far too heavy of a blow for not only us, but for everyone fighting this war against the Sirens." Belfast added to which everyone nodded in agreement.

'Dammit, am I really that helpless in all of this?' Shikikan frowned as he was being forced to accept the reality of his situation.

'Is this what those princesses from fairytales and those shoujo manga felt like?' He sighed heavily. "Alright fine. Takao, please come to me." He relented as he gave in to the girls' rationale.

"A wise choice. I shan't let you down nor let any harm come upon you, Shikikan!" Takao declared.

"Thanks for listening to us Commander. We'll be back soon." Enterprise smiled, trying to comfort him before skating off with everyone.

"Stay safe Takao." Zuikaku requested as she was the last to leave.

"I should be the one saying that Zuikaku. But regardless, I shall." Takao smiled warmly as she gave Zuikaku a pat on the shoulder before turning her around and sending her off.

On the bow of the ship, Shikikan's gaze laid upon Akagi and Kaga tag teaming a downed Purifier, with Atago coming in hot and the others on their way.

'_Subject has lost consciousness. Human electric tolerance and improvement test will now be put on hold.' _

'…' Shikikan winced as his mind was currently being overrun by flashback upon flashback.

'_I'm curious to see how heightened your sensitivity will be thanks to this next injection. If my calculations are correct, a simple prick of a needle to you now should feel like you're being impaled by a spear. So, let's see what a spear will feel like. Do keep me entertained with your cries, Anomaly.~"_

Unknown to him, his arms were shaking, and he had one hand closed into such a tight fist that his nails were starting to draw blood as another flashback took over his senses.

"_Hey lab rat, I want to know if I can change the color of my rigging to your eye color. For a mere human, they are pretty nice looking, so what do ya say? Let me get a closer look of them, I want to be exact~" Purifier's detestable voice rung through his head as an image of her gloved hand reaching out to his eyes was quickly taking over his vision. _

As the hand made it to one of his eyes, it began to close around it in a scooping motion. _"Don't worry, I'll give 'em back to Observer Zero and she can make it as if I never took them from ya in the first place with that hilarious rigging of hers."_

The pain beginning to become unbearable, he was desperately fighting back, but a strange dark appendage had wrapped around Purifier's hand and forcefully pulled it back.

"_Purifier, what are you doing with the test subject? And what was that about my rigging?" _The voice asked darkly before having the appendage pick Purifier up towards her.

"_It was nothing really, don't take it too seriously Zero!" _Purifier tried to joke her way out of the stronger Siren's jellyfish-like rigging's grip. _"I just wanted to know what exact color the lab rat's eyes were for my rigging, that's all."_

"_That information has already been recorded into the test subject's main database. Go ask Empress for access to it and refrain from adding any unnecessary variables to the next experiments by tampering with the test subject."_

"_Kayyy." _Purifier replied, getting Zero to put her down and let her go. _"See ya in the testing rooms, lab rat ~" Purifier sung as she walked off. _

Turning around,Zero moved over to stand before Shikikan. _"You're free to resume your rest now, Anomaly. I'll make sure you're resting times go undisturbed from here on out as thanks for producing the results we were looking for."_ She stated as an appendage from her jellyfish-like rigging touched his injured eye, emitting a strange glow as it instantly healed it.

"…_.." _

"_I suppose you are too disturbed now to rest properly. That will not do since it will affect the accuracy of the next tests."_ Zero surmised as she had another appendage move towards Shikikan's head. "_Do not resist, I am just going to forcefully send you into a deep slumber. It shall not hurt. That I will promise." _Zero said before the appendage landed on his head and released another strange light, doing what she just said and sending him into a deep sleep.

Unfortunately for Shikikan, the flashbacks didn't end there as the voice of the one who caused all of his personal grief rung through his head.

"_**You'll always be mine and mine alone." **_Empress spoke as she tugged on a long chain that ended at a heavy metal collar around Shikikan's neck. _**"Come, your Master wants some entertainment~"**_. She added, dragging him away into her chambers.

"Tsk..." Shikikan chided as he felt his some of his fear give way to more anger and hate. With his non-bleeding hand, he nursed the migraine that came from just thinking of the past.

"Commander?"

Turning around, he noticed Helena had just hopped aboard and noticed that he seemed a bit off as he was staring off.

"Hey Helena." He greeted before walking over to her and giving her a gentle pat on the head with his unbloodied hand. While Helena wanted to simply enjoy the nice sensation, she knew he wasn't his usual self right now.

"I won't force you to tell me, Commander, but just know that like when you promised to always welcome me with open arms, please know that I will always be ready and willing to do the same for you." Helena said as she tried to console him.

"….Thank you,…really." He said with a very faint smile before walking past her and towards the command room to patch up his bleeding hand and oversee the ensuing battles.

[With the two fleets and Purifier]

"Alright, I'll admit that I felt that…" Purifier scowled momentarily before her psychotic grin came back.

"_Interesting. Akagi's strength and speed has increased exponentially, as have the other kansen. Good work instigating this new discovery." _

"Shut it Observer, I'm busy thinking of how I wanna pay her back." Purifier spat into her comms.

"_I'll allow it but do hurry and begin what I initially sent you here for."_ Observer sneered.

"Tsk…fine!" Purifier yelled before turning off her comms and turning back to face a still enraged Akagi, her rigging covered in hellish flames and a very ticked off expression on her face.

"I hope you're ready to beg for your life you damn fox! Cuz I'm about to pay ya back tenfold!" Purifier grinned sadistically as she redeployed her rigging and charged at Akagi.

"Pay me back?" Akagi asked in the same dark tone. "After learning the truth of Shikikan-sama's lost memories, I should be the one saying that you wretched filth! I'll make it so that he never has to worry about ever seeing you up and about ever again!" She threatened before launching a squadron of blazing fighters at the Siren.

"So what? He should be thanking us! Losing worthless memories for all of the modifications we gave him is beyond a steal for him!" Purifier laughed as she shot down plane after plane and was closing in Akagi with a fist reeled back.

Unfortunately for her, before she could even get close, a squadron of dive bombers had rained down their loads on Purifier.

"Tsk, what now!?" Purifier scowled as she brushed off the damage.

"Your fight is not only with Nee-sama." Kaga spoke as she summoned more paper plane talismans in her hands.

"Modifications…?" Akagi growled as she prepared to launch more planes. "You dare taint Shikikan-sama's body!? I'll make it so that you never see the light of day again you insolent vermin!"

"Fine, bring it! It'll take more than a bunch of your weak bombs and kicks to even make me feel something ahaha!" Purifier arrogantly taunted.

"Then how about a katana?" Another voice from behind asked before Purifier turned around and had to put up both her arms to block a heavy sword coming straight for her head. Built to last, the sword couldn't cut through her arms, but it was swung powerfully enough to force Purifier backwards, right towards Akagi and Kaga. With her back turned to them, Purifier was riddled with bullets and torpedoes from behind while Atago closed in once more and landed a sharp right hook kick to Purifier's face, launching her away once more.

Getting up, Observer's voice in Purifier's comms was audible.

'_Times up Purifier. Begin the testing now or I will have to forcibly remove you from this experiment.' _She ordered_. _

'Tsk, fine.' Purifier scoffed as she took flight and flew a good distance away.

"It's been awhile since Onee-san's felt this much rage…." Atago said with a passive aggressive look on her face that betrayed her murderous aura. "Akagi, Kaga, sorry, but now is no time for warrior's code and not interfering with another's battle. Let's hurry and get this over with, I'm worried about Shikikan."

"…I don't know if I like the intention you had behind those words, but nevertheless, you are right." Akagi replied as the three of them dashed after Purifier.

[With Purifier]

'Damn these weaklings! Thinking they have a chance if they gang up on me! My main laser's still on cooldown so I'll just have to do this!' Purifier smirked as she landed back on her feet and snapped her fingers. It was then that four large portals appeared around Purifier, with two Strategist-class Sirens and two Peace Breaker-class Siren stepping out of them.

"Go deal with the others. The two foxes and that damn dog woman are mine." Purifier ordered as the five new Sirens simply nodded and followed her command.

{With Akagi, Kaga, and Atago}

"Where's Shikikan-sama right now?"

"He's still on his cruiser back there with Takao and the Eagle Union's Helena safeguarding him." Atago informed.

"I see…." Akagi replied. 'Takao shouldn't be an issue, but if that Eagle Union girl even thinks of getting ahead of m-'

"Nee-sama, I have an idea of what's going through your head right now, but please take this seriously." Kaga sighed as she accurately guessed what Akagi was thinking.

"Akagi-senpai! Kaga-senpai! Atago-san!"

Looking back, the three noticed that it was Zuikaku with the rest of the Shikikan's fleet not far behind.

"We've received word from Shikikan that four more Sirens have emerged and that we are to work together and subdue them." Shoukaku informed.

"….Fine, I'll cooperate, but only because of the current situation and because this is what Shikikan-sama desires." Akagi unhappily agreed. "Is Shikikan-sama doing alright though?" She asked with a worried tone.

"He's thankfully on his feet again and is planning to try and help from a distance." Enterprise replied.

"I see…." Akagi said while in deep thought.

"Never thought I'd be fighting alongside you…" Kaga remarked as she looked at Enterprise, Hornet, Belfast, Sheffield, and Wales.

"Likewise, but that's just the reality of the situation we're in." Wales replied.

"Miss Akagi, Miss Kaga, and Miss Atago." Belfast called out as she stepped forward. "Master has trusted me to inform you ladies that you will be acting under the banner of Fleet 4. Miss Akagi you have been trusted as flagship."

"Ara, seems like Shikikan-sama has recognized the 1st carrier divisions prowess." Akagi said, her mood lightened somewhat, but still not enough to not want to drown Purifier in an abyss.

"I believe the reason for this is because Master was worried you would not follow Miss Shoukaku's orders in Fleet 2 and endanger everyone." Sheffield bluntly replied, earning a shocked expression from Akagi and stifled giggles from Shoukaku.

"While not as harsh as Sheffield has implied, Master did want to make sure no one gets hurt and that this battle is done swiftly." Belfast calmly added before facing Enterprise and Shoukaku.

"In addition to the newly formed Fleet 4 and as per Master's orders, Fleet 1 will be splitting up to help deal with the additional enemies as well. Miss Enterprise and I will remain as Fleet 1, while Miss Wales will lead as flagship of the newly formed Fleet 3 with Miss Hornet and Sheffield accompanying her. And as for Fleet 2, Miss Shoukaku will remain as flagship with Zuikaku and Miss Eugen remaining in that fleet." The perfect Head Maid informed.

"This might be for the best, Nee-sama. You still are a flagship now though." Kaga consoled.

"…You're right, thank you for that Kaga. Come, let us hurry and conclude this so I can comfort Shikikan-sama." Akagi smiled lightly before noticing something was off.

"Looks like we share the same idea, Akagi, but it looks like we've got some unwelcomed guests to deal with first." Atago chimed in as she had her sword drawn facing the south.

A far distance away, five blurs could be made out as none other than Purifier and her reinforcements.

"Your eyesight has always amazed me, Atago." Zuikaku commented.

"I'll question your motives later after I sink them all, Atago." Akagi said as she prepared numerous red paper plane talismans.

"_Can you girls hear me?" _

"Commander?" Enterprise asked into her radio, her eyes not leaving the Sirens before her.

"Yeah…, sorry about earlier." He grimaced.

"Don't be." Eugen chimed in. "None of us think any less of you." She added to which everyone agreed in unison.

"Heh, thanks…., but anyway, from what I'm seeing on radar, there's five of them including Purifier, right?"

"Yes, two Strategists and two Peace Breaker classes. Should we engage?" Enterprise asked.

"Not yet. I'll make this quick though. There are four fleets and five of them. Work together and take them all down but be wary of Purifier's main laser cannon. You've seen what it can do. I'll do whatever I can to provide support from afar."

"I won't let any of them get past us!" Hornet declared.

"That would be great, but even if they do manage to sneak their way through, I'll be safe with the two very reliable guards with me."

"Shikikan…..I shan't betray your expectations! Please leave combat to me. I shall not shame my title of being 'The Strongest!'" Takao proclaimed, not knowing that to everyone else, she was sporting a crimson red blush from hearing his high praise.

"Don't worry Commander, the enemy can't hide from me!" Helena added, equally as flustered from his kind words.

"Thank you, you two." He felt the chaos in his head dying down bit by bit the more he spoke with the girls. Taking a deep breath, he gave his orders. "All units, engage! Defeat Purifier and her reinforcements!"

"Yes sir!" They all replied in various variations before Enterprise ended the call.

"….It would seem I must be wary of even Takao as well…" Akagi mumbled darkly. "Kaga, Atago, let us go. We've got some pest control to do." She announced before Fleet 4 charged at Purifier.

"Wait Akagi!" Enterprise yelled to no avail.

"Once Akagi-senpai makes up her mind, there's almost nothing that can stop her." Shoukaku sighed.

"She has the power to back herself up, so she should be fine with Kaga and Atago with her though." Zuikaku added.

"As much it pains me to say so….yes, the 1st carrier division is strong. Nevertheless the 5th carrier division is nothing to be scoffed at! Fleet 2, onwards! After those bad seniors!" Shoukaku declared before playing a melody on her flute and sending two squadrons of planes out.

"I'm fearless as long as Shoukaku-nee is with me!" Zuikaku yelled before racing off with her sword drawn.

"Guess that's my signal to go….whatever, I'll play along." Eugen smirked as she skated off as well.

"No point in standing by now. Fleet 3 on me!" Wales decreed before skating off with Hornet and Sheffield.

"We should hurry and go as well, Miss Enterprise." Belfast curtsied.

Enterprise sighed as she decided to just focus on the enemy and get back to Shikikan.

[With Fleet 4]

"Ahaha! Thanks for saving me the trouble of having to hunt down you three!" Purifier laughed madly as she alone stood against Akagi, Kaga, and Atago.

"What's the plan, Akagi?" Atago asked, her sword long drawn.

"Simple. Make it so that the other Sirens can't recognize her before sinking her deep into the abyss." Akagi replied, fire in her eyes and venom in her words.

"Under normal circumstances I would question that, but after seeing that look on Shikikan's face…." A murderous aura began to pour out of Atago as she had a darkened expression on her face. "How shall I _**torment **_you?" She asked with an unholy rage in her voice before lunging at Purifier with her katana.

"I don't appreciate you stealing my line ahaha!" Purifier laughed as she blasted away with her lasers.

Barely dodging each time, Atago skillfully made her way through the bullet hell and managed to close the distance between her and the Siren. Following up, Atago quickly swung her sword upwards, aiming to slice Purifier's head clean off.

"Too slow!" Purifier grinned as she ducked and tried to sweep kick the heavy cruiser.

Jumping up and away, Atago fired a wave of torpedoes at Purifier, forcing her to backflip out of the way before being hailed by a storm of bullets from multiple squadrons of fighter planes swarming around her.

"Atago, don't falter now. The 1st carrier division has your back after all." Kaga spoke as she threw five blue paper plane talismans at the grounded Purifier.

"_Ee,_ how reassuring." Atago replied, seemingly waiting for her chance to strike.

"Tsk…damn you!" Purifier roared as she relentlessly fired laser after laser at the planes, incinerating them one by one on hit.

"How careless of you." Atago remarked as she had swooped in and swung her blade downwards. With not enough time to dodge, Purifier had to resort to using her arms to stop the incoming slash.

"Ow, that hurts you damn dog woman!" Purifier grunted as the sword had managed to cut deeply into her tough skin but not enough to completely cut through. Forcibly unlodging her hands, she spun around and tried to kick Atago back, but only managed to meet Atago's blade and push her back along the ocean surface.

"Alright, that's it!" Purifier yelled. "Observer remove more of my limiter now!"

"_Can't even deal with one heavy cruiser and two recently awakened carriers? Pretty pathetic wouldn't you say?" _

"Shut up! Their power levels right now are abnormally higher, and you know it!" Purifier yelled back into her comms.

"_Perhaps….I guess I'll bring you up to 50% then." _Observer mocked before Purifier's eyes and rigging began to emit an ominous yellow light.

"About time!" Purifier grinned madly. "Warm up's over ahaha! Shame you two just awakened since you're about to go right back!" She yelled before charging at the three Sakura kansen before her.

"Time for a death match then hehehe…." Kaga grinned wildly as she summoned more planes talismans around her.

"Tsk…such a troublesome pest." Akagi frowned. 'Wait for me Shikikan-sama, Akagi will be there for you soon!'

[With Fleet 1]

"Belfast, we need to hurry! I'm getting a bad feeling over where Purifier is!" Enterprise rushed as she was currently dealing with hordes of drones from the Strategist class Siren in front of her, shooting down plane after plane with deadly precision.

"Agreed, but my hands are quite full dealing with these troublesome foes." Belfast replied as she was simultaneously dodging projectiles left and right and shooting down plane after plane.

"I'm moving in, don't fall behind!" Enterprise announced as she jumped up high and landed onto one of her incoming fighter planes.

"Perhaps I need to remind you why I was appointed Head Maid of the Royal Navy, Miss Enterprise." Belfast smiled before surrounding herself in a heavy smokescreen and charging forth, easily dodging all of the bullets and bombs exploding around her and clearing a path towards the Strategist.

As she stood tall on her plane, Enterprise aimed her bow straight above and fired three light arrows high up. After a second upon being fired, the light arrows burst open, revealing dive bombers soaring high up into the sky before nose diving straight down towards the Siren elite.

Hearing the sound of incoming planes, Strategist looked up and saw the threat of the dive bombers. Focusing all of her attention on them, she sent out all of her remaining drones to try and shoot down the dive bombers before they could unload their packages.

Of the three incoming bombers, two were caught in the crossfire from the Siren's desperate attempt. The remaining one bomber bravely nosed dive deep enough and dropped its package, but unfortunately met its end when two Siren drones crashed into it. Using the few drones she had left, the Strategist formed a wall and had her drones take the brunt of the incoming bomb.

Smirking at how she managed to successfully ward off the threat, the Siren looked back down to see the look on the kansens' faces, only to be shocked with how close Belfast was.

"It would seem you've noticed far too late." Belfast stated as she had launched multiple torpedoes at the defenseless Siren.

With no other means of defending herself, the Siren shifted to the right, forcing her rigging to tank the incoming wave of torpedoes. Upon impact the Siren stumbled backwards, her rigging in shambles and herself beyond repair.

"It's over." A voice said.

With her remaining strength, the Siren tilted its head to the source of the voice, where she was met with Enterprise holding a light arrow point blank to her head.

Before she could react, Enterprise fired straight into the Siren's head, dimming the unnerving glow in the Siren's eyes before becoming completely lifeless and slowly sinking deep into the ocean.

"A job well done if I may say so myself Miss Enterprise." Belfast praised as she skated up.

"Yeah, you did great too." Enterprise casually replied. "How are the other's doing?" She asked as she looked on over to how the other three fleets were faring.

"Fleet 2 and 3 seem to be handling their own, but Fleet 4 seems to be in a deadlock with their opponent."

"Alright, let's go help Akagi and them then."

"Agreed. The sooner we tidy things up the better. I'm still quite worried about Master's state of mind as of right now." Belfast frowned as she looked to where Shikikan's cruiser was.

"Yeah…" Enterprise replied as she too glanced back. "Let's hurry, Belfast."

{With Fleet 2}

"Drat, Grey Ghost's already done over there." Zuikaku glanced over to where Enterprise and Belfast were before turning back and slicing through the incoming drones from the Strategist Siren before her.

"Shoukaku-nee, let's hurry!" She called out as she charged forth.

"Normally I'd say now's not the time for competition, but given the circumstances, I'll allow it. Zuikaku! Give it you're all! I'll cover you!" Shoukaku cheered as she shot out a squadron of fighters following right after Zuikaku.

Intercepting her, Strategist launched a massive horde of drones, shooting down Shoukaku's planes as fast as she could before jumping backwards to gain some distance from a rapidly approaching Zuikaku.

"Did you forget about little old me?"

Going wide-eye, the Siren swung back to see that Eugen's sentient rigging had its razor-sharp jaws closing in on her and fast. With not enough time to dodge, the Siren reeled as the rigging chomped through half her rigging and one of her arms. Enraged, the Siren kicked the sentient rigging back before jumping far to her right clutching what was left of her dismembered arm.

"You're not getting away!" Zuikaku cried out as she flung three paper plane talismans at the wounded Siren.

Reduced to less than half her strength, the Siren used all of her remaining drones to desperately try to shoot down the planes and take Zuikaku down with her at the very least.

"Don't stop Zuikaku!" Shoukaku yelled from afar as she had another squadron of fighters fly out and blow up the drones.

"_Arigato, Shoukaku-nee!_" Zuikaku grinned as she quickly closed the distance and sliced right through Strategist's torso, cutting her clean in two.

"Not bad." Eugen commented as she had her rigging clean up the remains.

"Um…is it okay for your rigging to um….munch on a Siren?" Zuikaku went pale at the sight.

"It's fine…they enjoy the taste and know when to spit out something they shouldn't eat." Eugen waved her off, right as her rigging spat out a large mass of white hair.

"Good work you two. Let's move on and help the others." Shoukaku suggested.

"That doesn't seem like it'll be necessary…" Eugen pointed out as she looked off to where Wales' fleet was.

"Sheffield keep it up! Hornet ready another bombing run!"

"Yes!"

"Okay!"

With amazing teamwork and precision, Sheffield had dodged Peace Breaker's barrage and was circling around the Siren, blasting away with both her guns.

"Now Sheffield!" Wales commanded as she fired her own barrage.

"Yes!" replied as she swiftly jumped away, but not before launching one last wave of torpedoes.

Stuck between the two kansens' combination attack, Peace Breaker's rigging exploded from the impact. Still alive but completely immobilized now, the Siren could only look up to see Hornet's bombers dropping their packages before being completely engulfed in explosions and flames.

"See?" Eugen smirked. "We should hurry over to Purifier. I want to, at the very least, bring back a Siren shaped souvenir for Hipper."

[Back with Fleet 3]

"Nice work you two." Wales praised as she confirmed that the Siren was down for the count.

"It was nothing! Your leadership skills are pretty great after all!" Hornet grinned.

"Wait, where's the other Peace Breaker?" Sheffield went wide-eyed as she looked around.

"Aku soku zan!"

In the far distance over by where Shikikan's ship was, the sound of steel clanging on steel could be heard.

"How'd that Siren get over there!?" Hornet yelled as she was about to skate over to help but was stopped when she got an incoming radio call.

"_Hornet? Come in. This is Helena." _

"Helena! Are you guys okay? I'm so sorry, I don't know how that Siren got past us!" Hornet apologized rapidly.

"_We are fine for now and it's not your fault. The Sirens had opened up a portal in front of Commander's ship and Takao immediately went to go and intercept her." _

"_Don't worry about us Takao! We can handle ourselves so just focus on pressing the attack!" _Shikikan could be heard yelling in the background.

"_Hai!" _

"_Commander says to just focus on taking down Purifier and that we'll be fine and on our way there soon! I need to go and see if I can help! Good luck!" _Helena informed, ending the call before Hornet could reply.

"Did you both get that?" Hornet asked.

"Yes, although I'm still a tad worried." Wales frowned.

"If I may," Sheffield interjected, "I've scuffled with Miss Takao before during the war. I can confidently say that she's beyond strong."

"I see….but either way, Commander's given us his orders. Let's hurry." Wales made her decision as Fleet 3 went to go help deal with Purifier. "I'm surprised though Sheffy. Rarely do I ever hear you give out compliments like that." Wales teased.

"Pardon me, but I only spoke the truth, nothing more, nothing less." A blank faced Sheffield quickly replied, earning giggles from her fleet mates.

{Back with Shikikan]

"Slow and steady wins the race. Dripping water wears away the stone. My sword has been trained over a long period of time…There is nothing it cannot sever!" Takao chanted as she sliced through barrage after barrage as she dashed right up to the Peace Breaker and managed to slice off five of her riggings' appendage-like cannons. Following up, Takao spun around and landed a devastating reverse roundhouse kick to the Siren's head, knocking her face first onto the ocean surface.

"Not yet!" Takao yelled before adding her finishing touch: a double torpedo barrage, blowing the Peace Breaker and her rigging up sky high.

Once the smoke cleared though, the Peace Breaker could be seen on her last legs.

Barely able to move, the Peace Breaker concentrated the remaining cannon she still had and blasted away at Shikikan's cruiser.

"Commander get away from the ship!" Helena yelled.

"Nay! None shall bring harm to Shikikan as long as I draw breath!" Takao declared as she leapt into the line of fire and used all of her strength to cut through the incoming blast. With her overwhelming strength, Takao swatted away the blast, without so much as breaking a sweat.

"Wow…" Helena said in awe.

"Sleep forever at the bottom of the sea." Takao ordered as she dashed forward at blinding speed and beheaded the downed Siren in one fell swoop.

"Hm... Once again, I've cut a worthless object." Takao sighed as she sheathed her katana.

"_You really are amazing Takao. I couldn't ask for a better bodyguard." _Shikikan praised via radio.

"S-Shikikan!? I d-don't deserve such high praise….." Takao heavily blushed.

"_Not true, you've clearly worked hard to get to where you are today. If anything, you deserve a lot more praise and recognition, but I hope you'll settle with just my sincerest thanks and gratitude for now, Takao." _

{Affinity Up!}

Speechless and feeling as if her face was on fire, Takao quietly muttered a 'thank you' before heading back for the ship.

With Shikikan, he could be seen in the control room taking a few deep breaths.

"Alright.." He took one last breath and faced his Manjuu helmsmen. "Once Takao gets here, we head straight for Purifier and end this."

_Chirp!_

"…Commander, you've been acting strange for a while now. Are you sure you don't want to sit down for a minute?" Helena asked with a worried expression.

Earlier when she was about to use her SG to help Takao take down Peace Breaker, she noticed that Shikikan had a darkened expression on his face as he watched on. While glad he was no longer pale as a ghost, this didn't seem to be any sort of good improvement.

"…It's nothing. Let's just hurry and get a move on." Shikikan lied, but to no avail.

"Commander…" She started as she walked up to him and stared straight into his eyes. "I can see it in your eyes. They're the same as mine back during the war. The feelings of fear, regret, anger, and even hate taking over your whole mindset and making everything seem dull and gray."

Shikikan, having no idea on how to reply, opting to just look away from the bluenette.

Seeing this and with gentle, slow movements, Helena brought her hands up and cupped Shikikan's cheeks, forcing him to look back at her.

"Commander, please…" Helena begged. "Please don't let those feelings consume you. I know it's not right for me to ask you of this after everything you've been through, but please…at the very least, don't think you have to do all alone of this alone." She spoke softly, doing her best to soothe the chaos in his mind.

"She is right, Shikikan." Takao spoke as she appeared through the open command room door and walked towards them.

"I'm sorry for interjecting myself, but right now, Shikikan, we all are fighting not just for our livelihoods, but for you, our kind leader, as well. On my honor as a swordswoman of the Sakura Empire, I swear to stand by your side and shield you from harm's way." Takao kneeled before him. "No longer must you fear the Sirens for so long as I draw breath, none of them shall lay their hands on you."

'What am I doing? Making them worry like this?'

Moved beyond words, he knelt down to hold Takao's hand.

"Stand up, Takao. We have a fight to finish." He spoke with renewed vigor as his migraine began to dissipate.

"Hai!" She smiled as she let him help her get up.

"Welcome back Commander." Helena smiled brightly.

"Set a course straight for Purifier." He commanded to his Manjuu helmsmen. 'I'm done being chained to the past.' He resolved himself.

[Back to the action]

"Damn useless testing decoys…." An injured Purifier scowled. "You all just love to pile on in, don't ya!?" She yelled at the four fleets of kansen before her.

'_Seems like 50% of your full power equals to only about two fully filled in fleets. But, I'm quite certain at this point that their sudden power ups significantly skewed the data, so don't relent your weakness too much, Purifier.'_

"Oh, shut it you creepy, tentacle loving loli!" Purifier yelled at the top of her lungs into her comms. "Like hell I'll accept these results! I'll end them all here and now!"

"_Such an uncouth, barbaric personality." _Observer sighed_. "Do as you wish, I've already gotten what I wanted from this test." _She added before ending the call.

"I would've done it with or without your approval!" Purifier spat before turning to face the kansen before her.

"Seems like she doesn't plan on giving up or fleeing any time soon." An exhausted Shoukaku joked as she readied herself for another round.

"As if I'd allow her to get away alive…" Akagi scowled, covered in injuries but still enraged enough to fight on.

"You kansen think you're so tough! Ganging up on me like this and thinking numbers will make any difference!" Purifier taunted as a crazed grin formed on her face.

"Just give it up Purifier." Enterprise warned as she had a large light arrow aimed directly for Purifier's head.

"Ha! Let's see if you can keep up that big talk after this!" She declared as her main cannon began to absorb light as it charged up. "That is if you can actually survive being completely obliterated ahahahaha!"

"Scatter! She's firing her main laser cannon!" Wales yelled as everyone dispersed into different directions.

"Run all you want! You'll all just die here anyway ahahaha!" The psychopath laughed as she was about to fire.

"DIE YOU WEAK –!?" She was cut off when an incoming projectile seemingly from the sky had hit her square in the face.

"WHAT!?" She yelled as a strange white foam exploded from the projectile and had completely blinded her.

"The hell is this crap!?" She raged as she tried to scrape out the foam from her eyes, only for it to stick to her hands and clothes.

"Wait…I've seen that stuff before…" Hornet thought aloud before the sound of a loud voice from all of the kansens' radios was heard.

"HERE'S YOUR CHANCE! ALL FLEETS ENGAGE NOW!" The voice being none other than the Shikikan's roared as he gave his orders.

"Wait wha-arck!" A still blinded Purifier was silenced as she was kneed in the face.

"Such is the fate of the weak. Death, nothing more." Kaga said as she quickly followed up with two squadrons of bombers dropping their packages onto the downed Purifier.

"AS IF THAT'S ENOUGH TO KILL M-!" Purifier roared back to life as she finally managed to scrape most of the foam out of her eyes, only to be blinded once more as Enterprise pierced Purifier's right eye with a light arrow.

"ARGHH!" She yelled in excruciating pain.

"Silence you worthless vermin." Akagi spoke darkly as she landed right in front of her before kicking Purifier high up into the air.

"Do you hear that? The ringing of your death knells." Sheffield asked before she and everyone rained fire on the defenseless Purifier.

"AUGHH!" Purifier screamed as she and her rigging were torn apart from the bullet storm of cannon fire, torpedoes, fighter planes, and bombers.

Once the smoke cleared, a battered and broken Purifier could be seen floating on the ocean's surface.

"Y-you d-damn…weaklings…" Purifier snarled weakly, unable to move anything but her loud mouth.

"Big talk from someone who lost to said weaklings." Eugen taunted.

"Don't…you…look down on me!" Purifier tried to yell as she futilely tried to get back up.

"Sucks to be on the other end of the stick doesn't it?" A voice seeping with a dark and ice-cold tone asked.

With all of her remaining strength, Purifier brought her head up to look at who would dare talk down to her like that.

"You..!" Purifier growled as her eyes laid upon Shikikan, his cruiser floating on up to the downed Siren as he glared at her from the bow, his eyes filled with contempt and hate.

"You think…you can look down on me!?"

"I can and I am aren't I?" He mocked.

"Why you…you're just a weak human! Worth nothing more than being our lab rat!" She spat back, trying to ridicule him enough to make him remember the past.

"You insolent-" Akagi was about to walk over and stomp on the Siren's throat but a loud sigh from the Shikikan caught her attention.

"So obnoxiously loud, no wonder they all trash talked you behind your back."

"…What?" The Siren asked in surprised shock, not just from hearing this new discovery, but also from how her attempts to stir up flashbacks in his mind seemed to have completely failed.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Shikikan asked in fake surprise. "Well, I guess I really shouldn't be so surprised. After all, you always were the dumb one." His tone as condescending as it was cold, Purifier's anger was quickly beginning to boil over.

The kansen were surprised at the sudden change of character the Shikikan was showing, quietly watching and listening along as they were unsure of what to do, let alone say.

"It's funny how you never did shut up about your strength, but here you are, looking like some useless deadweight. Pretty pathetic, don't you think?" He continued to berate the Siren.

"I'll kill you, you damn lab rat!" She yelled as loudly as she could.

"What's wrong? Too dumb to come up with a better insult? Cause I'm pretty sure a lab rat is worth a lot more than you are right now."

"YOU'LL BE BEGGING ME TO KILL YOU ONCE I-" She began to scream before a tentacle appeared from out under her, wrapping around her neck and ultimately stuffing her mouth.

"Mmph!" Purifier tried to say something but to no avail.

"Silence Purifier. You've been beaten and hysterically humiliated." A voice from afar.

"Sis, over there!" Hornet pointed out to the north, revealing a small figure surrounded by a heaping mass of black tentacles glowing a disturbing yellow color.

"…Observer…." Enterprise scowled as she and everyone armed themselves.

"….Greetings Azur Lane and…." Observer trailed off as she looked at Shikikan and smiled. "…My precious test subject."

"Sheffield, protect Master." Belfast requested.

"Understood." Sheffield complied as she went over and stood in front of his cruiser, her trigger fingers itching.

"Now, now…I'm not here to fight…today." Observer waved off. "I'm just here to pick up the…, 'deadweight', you called her?" She chuckled as she flicked her wrist, summoning a portal under Purifier and instantly dragging her into it with more of her tentacles coming out of it.

"Oh no you don't!" Zuikaku tried to stop her, but the portal closed far too quickly. "Damn it! I'm sorry Shikikan!" She tried to apologize, but without breaking eye contact with the newly arrived Siren, Shikikan just briefly nodded his head no, seemingly telling her it's not her fault.

Mere seconds later, Purifier appeared from another portal right next to Observer.

"What a mess you are Purifier." Observer sighed.

"Shut up….I've had enough of being ridiculed today." Purifier snapped back as she glared back at Shikikan. "You got lucky today, but don't think it'll h-" She tried to say but was stuffed with a tentacle once more.

"Did I not tell you to be quiet already? I've already told Zero of your condition. Now off you go." Observer sighed once more before literally throwing Purifier into another portal with another tentacle, most likely back to wherever their HQ was.

"Now then, back to business." Observer spoke as she focused her attention on Shikikan once more, the kansen on their guard as they stood in front of his cruiser all while staring daggers at her.

"Anomaly….or rather Shikikan I suppose, won't you return with me? We're still in need of your….'assistance'. Of course, I'll reward you like I always do~" She licked her lips.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock and horror upon hearing this and assuming the worst.

"You filthy harlot…." Akagi flared.

"Now, now Akagi, no need for name calling now." Observer smirked. "It's only natural I reward what belongs to me whenever he does something well." She added, earning murderous glares from not only Akagi, but from everyone now.

"Since when did I become yours?" Shikikan asked, more than just simple annoyance in his voice.

"Since I've first laid eyes on you of course." She giggled, sickening Shikikan to his stomach. "While I've had to share you with Arbiter and Zero, the fact that you belong to us remains true."

His eyes starting to twitch, he felt absolutely nothing but anger and hatred as he stared at the petite Siren.

"So what you're saying is that 'consent' is not a word in your dictionary?"

"It is, of course, a concept we know, but it doesn't apply whenever you're involved. After all, it's illogical for it to be needed when referring to personal belongings." She calmly replied with ever the mocking tone.

Feeling his migraine returning, he decided to just drop it. "Since I apparently need to spell it out for you, I refuse to ever go back to that hell."

"That's too bad, Empress is just dying to have you in her grasp again."

Now fully back, Shikikan brought a hand up to massage his aching head, still not breaking his hate-filled glare.

"I suggest you take your leave now." Belfast boldly stepped in. "Your presence has obviously troubled Master, so I humbly ask you to leave _now_." Belfast frowned as she had multiple torpedoes at the ready.

"How scary." Observer smirked. "But I suppose I will. There's still some things that need to be done before we can have indulge ourselves in this world more." Her tone suggestive as it was condescending. "Please do take care of _my_ precious test subject for me. Farewell, _Shikikan_." She mocked as she flicked her wrist, summoning a portal in the air and disappearing into it as it closed right behind her.

Pure silence took over as everyone was still on their guard in case of an ambush. After a few seconds had come to pass, Shikikan decided to be the one to break the deafening silence.

"Helena." He called out to the bluenette standing behind him and to his right. "Any sign of them nearby?"

"No one but us left here, Commander." She replied, worry evident in her tone as she and everyone else stared silently at him.

Taking a big deep breath, he did something that surprised everyone.

"Haaa, I'm exhausted!" He exhaled as he looked behind him, dropped his hat, and willingly fell backwards onto the deck of his ship. The hat somewhat cushioned his head from the fall as he collapsed into a position similar to someone about to make a snow angel on the ground.

"S-Shikikan!?" Takao yelled worryingly as she and everyone got aboard his ship and surrounded him.

"I'm fine…" He sighed as he stretched his arms out and dropping them to his sides once more. "Great work today girls. Let's hurry on back." The contemptuous glare and cold aura he had before void from his person as he was seemingly back to normal, much to the girls' relief.

"_Mo_ Shikikan, Onee-san was about to panic thinking you had just fainted!" Atago scolded as she let out a heavy sigh before a relived smile quickly formed on her face. Kneeling down next to him, she gently lifted his head, removed the hat from underneath, shifted herself forward a bit, and finally brought Shikikan's head back down onto her heavenly lap pillow.

"Please don't pull a stunt like that again Shikikan." Kaga requested. "You made Akagi nee-sama faint herself." She added as she was currently giving an unconscious Akagi a lap pillow of her own.

"S-sorry about that." He chuckled nervously. "I didn't think I'd be this exhausted."

"I'll say. Who would have thought you could pull off such a fierce, cold glare?" Wales joked.

"You say it as if you didn't kind of like it, Wales." Eugen teased. "I for one sure did." She boldly admitted as she smirked at a blushing Shikikan.

"I also didn't think you were capable of such cruel insults. I'll have to have you teach me at some point." Shoukaku giggled.

"Um…Commander…about what the Sirens said…" Enterprise was the brave soul to ask the question on everyone's minds.

"Doesn't count."

"H-huh?" A confused Enterprise asked.

"I did not consent so therefore I refuse to acknowledge that it counts."

A bright red blush formed on Enterprise's face as it took her a few seconds to piece together what he was getting at.

"C-Commander! I was referring to what she was insinuating about indulging in the world and stuff! N-not that!" The normally calm and collected Enterprise yelled embarrassingly.

"…O-oh…." Shikikan turned crimson red as everyone broke out into lighthearted laughter, much to the two's dismay.

"C-could we just forget that ever happened?" Shikikan begged, embarrassed beyond belief.

"Nope! It's not everyday I get to see Enty all flustered like this you know? I'm so glad I got that on camera! Maybe I'll even post it on Juustagram!" Hornet laughed.

"H-hornet!" Enterprise yelled as she began to chase after her troublesome sister.

"Just to clarify Master." Belfast spoke. "We all knew that 'that' doesn't count. So rest assured for your purity is still ever so present in our eyes." She giggled as she half assured, half teased him.

"That said, Onee-san didn't expect you to have such a dirty mind. _Ecchi_." Atago joked as she ruffled his hair and poked his cheek. Too flustered to counter and to weak to break free from Atago's heavenly lap pillow, he shyly looked away as he continued to be helplessly teased by his kansen, all just sincerely relieved and happy to see him somewhat back to his normal self.

Despite all that, he couldn't deny the feeling of a heavy load being lifted off of his chest as the unyielding chaos in his mind finally calmed down completely.

[With the Sirens]

"What a pitiful sight." Zero sighed as she looked at an unconscious Purifier.

"Purifier kept squirming around and demanding that I let her go. She was quite adamant about making him pay for insulting her, so I had to put her to sleep before I got anymore annoyed." Observer admitted as she released the Siren from her tentacles, casually dropping her like a ragdoll onto the cold floor.

"Empress isn't going to be pleased that you didn't bring him back." Zero exhaustingly exhaled.

"You're right. **I'm not**_**.**_" Empress appeared with murderous intent as her rigging was trained on Observer.

"My apologies for not bringing back our precious test subject, but he seems to have some sort of effect on the kansen." Observer defended.

"What do you mean?" Zero questioned.

"He was able to significantly increase their power levels to the point where Purifier couldn't handle them all at half her maximum strength."

"Is that so?" Empress madly grinned as she disengaged her rigging.

"How fascinating, I'll have to see the data for myself then." Zero added before walking away from the other two Siren elites.

"With the results from this test, I believe that executing the next test soon would yield some rather interesting results for our test subject."

"**My **subject, you mean?" Empress corrected threateningly.

"Of course, how careless of me." Observer insincerely giggled. "But in regard to the next test, Tester has informed me that everything will be ready come nightfall. All that remains is finishing the production of the land units before we can invade the Eagle Union's NY Harbor."

"Not soon enough, tell her to speed it up **or else**." Empress ordered in a dark tone.

"I'll go warn her now." Observer nodded. 'She's interestingly becoming rather impatient with you, Shikikan. Who knows what'll happen when she's had enough?' She giggled to herself as she floated off.

'You're going to regret you ever ran away from me. Once you're back, you'll never escape my eyes ever again.' She grinned sadistically as she turned around and walked back to her chambers, all sorts of ideas on what to do with Shikikan brewing in her twisted mind.

* * *

**Phew! Sorry this took longer than I expected, I had some trouble figuring out how I wanted to go about this chapter since it would ultimately lead off to how this story will move along in the long run. **

**Shikikan's mind is in such a mess right now huh? Sure would suck if more stress piled on huh ;)? **** I wonder what'll happen then haha. **

**Thanks again for all of the favorites, follows, and reviews and I'll see y'all next time in An Unsung Legend: Chapter 14: The battle for NY Harbor! **


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: The Battle for NY Harbor**

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**Welcome back y'all! I just wanted to take a second and say thank you so much for 200+ follows! I hope everyone will continue to enjoy this story! **

**At long last, I present to you chapter 14! I'll explain why I took so long at the end but for now let me just say one last thing:**

**This chapter is going to be a bit a darker in the form of descriptive violence depictions and scenery, but nothing too far (IMO) so there's the warning!**

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"**You cannot go into battle believing you will lose." - Akisame Koetsuji, Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple**

* * *

"_There's still some things that need to be done before we can have indulge ourselves in this world more."_

'Tsk…as if I'd let you do as you please.' Shikikan scoffed as he was thinking about what Observer said.

'That said, what exactly are they up to? What are they preparing for? How long do I have to figure this out before they act? Where will they strike? And what exactly is that smell?' He questioned as he was brought out of his train of thought when he smelled something fragrant assaulting his nose. Realizing what it was, he quickly rushed over and took the large fryer basket out of the fryer and set it on the rack above.

'Phew, any second later and they would've started to burn.' He sighed in relief as he remembered that he shouldn't be so lost in thought when cooking lest he start a kitchen fire on his ship.

"Oh! I know that smell like the back of my hand! Is it ready yet Shikikan?" A starry-eyed Zuikaku appeared with Shoukaku in tow.

"Everything's cooked, so all that's left is to just put everything together, so give me a few more minutes and I'll bring it all out to where everyone is." He smiled.

"Please hurry Shikikan! I can't wait!" Zuikaku replied excitedly.

"Patience Zuikaku, good things come to those who wait." Shoukaku scolded.

"_Haiii…_" Zuikaku sadly replied.

Feeling a bit bad for her, an idea popped into his head. "Since you're here Zuikaku, wanna do some taste testing for me?" Shikikan smiled as he took the biggest shrimp tempura out of the fryer basket and handed it to her on a plate.

"Really!? I'd love to!" Zuikaku happily cried out as she grabbed a pair of chopsticks and bit into the juicy, warm tempura. "Nothing beats freshly fried! So good!" She exclaimed, hearts bubbling out of her head as she savored the large fried shrimp.

'Too cute..' Shikikan thought as he patted her head.

"You'll spoil my sister rotten, Shikikan." Shoukaku pouted.

"Sorry, I just can't seem to help it." He chuckled as he handed her a plate with another tempura on it. "Mind giving me a second opinion?"

Shoukaku looked at the plate for a second before an idea popped into her head as a mischievous smile creeped up on her face. "Only if you feed it to me."

Not thinking too hard about it, he complied. Grabbing a pair of chopsticks, he picked up the tempura and brought it to Shoukaku.

"Ahh.." She hummed as she brushed some hair behind her ear. Slowly leaning in, she blew on the tempura before gently biting into the tip. Lingering a bit at the end of the chopsticks before pulling back out, Shoukaku glanced up to see that her plan worked when she saw a red-faced Shikikan staring at her in embarrassed shock.

"A bit too hot, but that's just something I'll eventually get used to." Shoukaku smirked.

"W-w-well it d-did just c-come out of the f-fryer…" He stuttered.

"_Hai_, the tempura was delicious too." She continued to tease him, a growing blush rising on her own face.

"I'm pleased to see that you are back to your normal, lecherous self, Master." A harsh voice from the kitchen entrance called out to him.

"H-hey Sheffield, Belfast, s-something wrong?" He embarrassingly asked.

"I believe that I should be the one asking you that." Belfast smirked. "But I've just come to report that Miss Victoria has been notified of Observer's threats and that she is currently relaying the information over to High Command."

"I-I see, thank you." He took a deep breath to calm himself down before continuing. "Any word from the scouting team?"

"No enemies have appeared on radar, so if I may be so bold, I believe we are in safe territory as of now." Sheffield replied.

"Good to hear." He sighed in relief. "Could I ask you to tell the scouting team to come back aboard and leave the scouting to the Manjuus? I'll have lunch ready in 10."

"As you wish." Sheffield nodded before heading back out.

"May I offer you my assistance, Master?" Belfast offered as she walked up to him.

"Allow me to help as well as thanks for the _treat_, Shikikan." Shoukaku giggled, much to Shikikan's chagrin.

"I don't know if I'll be of much use but let me help too!" Zuikaku added.

"Sure, everything's pretty much done, but I could use some help putting everything together and carrying it all out."

"Don't sneak any bites now, Zuikaku." Shoukaku teased.

"Mo, Shoukaku-nee…" An embarrassed Zuikaku whined, earning light hearted laughter from everyone.

[In the main lounge area of the ship]

"….Hmmm? Where am I?"

"Good afternoon, Nee-sama. You can rest easy. The Sirens left and we are in the lounge area of Shikikan's ship." Kaga casually greeted. Currently Akagi was lying down on a comfy looking couch with a blanket over her as Kaga was tending to her injured arm on a nearby chair.

"Kaga, you're injured?" She asked before feeling a tightened sensation on her arms. Looking down, she noticed that her other arm and legs were neatly bandaged and that underneath the blanket, her attire was slightly torn and dirtied.

"Tis but a flesh wound." Kaga waved her off as she finished bandaging herself. "Your wounds were also nothing worth noting, but I took the liberty of tending to them while you were still passed out."

Tilting her head, Akagi took a few seconds to remember why she passed out before finally remembering.

"Where's Shikikan-sama!?" She jumped up off the couch and scoured the large lounge area.

"Fret not Akagi." A voice revealing to be Takao walking up to them with Atago in tow. "Of all the injuries sustained during that fight, only you, Kaga, and Atago required actual treatment."

"I see….but that still doesn't answer my question."

"Shikikan's in the kitchen over there." A mildly bandaged up Atago pointed behind her. "He seemed to be doing a lot better now, but we all agreed to give him some alone time."

"You passed out as soon as you saw Shikikan collapse, but rest assured that he's doing fine, Akagi." Takao added. "He was more relieved and exhausted than in pain when he did that."

"Oh Shikikan-sama ~ You shouldn't worry your Akagi like that~" Akagi sighed in relief as a smile began creeping up on her face. "I believe that he'll feel much better if I was with him, so if you three will excuse me." She pardoned before beginning to walk towards the kitchen.

"Sorry to say Akagi, but it Shoukaku, Zuikaku, and the Royal Navy's Belfast already went to go check up on him." Takao informed.

"…What was that?" Akagi asked in a low tone before she began sniffing the air. "This smell…"

As soon as she said that the three aforementioned kansen and the Shikikan appeared from the kitchen door, carrying large platters filled with sandwiches.

"Oh! Smells good! What's for lunch?" Hornet asked excitedly.

"Shrimp tempura sandwiches. There's a lot so don't hold back." Shikikan replied as he set down the platters on a nearby long table.

"Thanks for making lunch, Commander." Helena smiled.

"Thanks for working so hard." Shikikan replied as he ruffled her hair.

"Alright everyone! Lunch is served!" He called out as everyone crowded around the long table.

"Shikikan-sama~!" Akagi sung from afar.

Turning towards his right, he was surprised to see a kitsune practically pouncing at him. Luckily for him, she stopped just before reaching him. "Oh Akagi, you're up! How are you feeling?"

"I'm perfectly fine now that I'm with Shikikan-sama ~!" She cheered happily as her tails wagged vigorously. "I was so scared that you were in pain when you fell over like that you know?" She pouted. "But now I'm just relieved to see you up and well ~."

"S-sorry about that." He smiled sheepishly with a rising blush forming. "How are your injuries though?"

"This wound is nothing compared to the thought of you abandoning me, Commander!" She proclaimed.

"N-no need to worry about that since that'll never happen, Akagi." He shyly replied, not realizing the weight of his words and how it would affect Akagi.

{Affinity up! x5}

"Ahhh! Just hearing you say such kind words fill me with such joy! Akagi loves you so!" She cheered as she clung to his arm.

'Why do I feel like there's a bunch of daggers being pointed at me?' Shikikan nervously questioned.

"Ho? Did you two enjoy your beauty rest?" Eugen mocked as Kaga arrived next to Akagi.

"Ara ara, Akagi, I'm sure you and Kaga must be famished after not having anything to eat for so long. Come, let us go have a nice lunch. We have _much_ to catch up on after all." Atago giggled rather ominously as she tugged Kaga away.

"Zuikaku, you're still growing. Eat up!" Shoukaku sarcastically nagged as she dumped more sandwiches onto a very happy and willing Zuikaku's plate. "And no, I'm not just trying to prevent our esteemed senpai from having any of Shikikan's cooking." She added, giving intentionally obvious glances over to Akagi.

"!? Why you…please excuse me for now Shikikan-sama. I have some troublesome kouhai in need of some discipline." Akagi growled as she regretfully let go of Shikikan's arm and stomped over to the quickly fleeing 5th carrier division.

'I'm surprised they aren't more tired especially after all that fighting…' Shikikan thought.

"Hey Commander, what is this green stuff on the sandwich?" Enterprise asked as she inspected the sandwich's content.

"Hmm? Oh, it's just some tartar sauce I made and mixed with some wasabi paste for a little heat."

"…There's no lemons right?" She asked wearily.

"My, are you still picky with your food Miss Enterprise?" Belfast teased.

"You see Commander…" Hornet started as she walked over to Enterprise and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Sis hates lemons with a passion." She snickered.

"I never knew the Grey Ghost had such a weakness." Wales smirked.

"I-I just think lemons don't do anything but ruin things." Enterprise huffed, only to heavily blush when Shikikan started to laugh a bit.

"Don't worry Enterprise, I didn't use any lemons." He chuckled before an idea popped into his head. "But I am surprised though."

"About what? Me not liking lemons?" Enterprise guessed as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"About how you have a cute side too." He teased.

Thrown into a surprised coughing fit, Enterprise chugged some water before looking at him with pure embarrassment.

The lounge was filled in lighthearted laughter as the legendary Grey Ghost's face was beet red.

"Heh, sorry about that Enterprise, I couldn't help myself." He laughed.

"I-it's fine….I-I just wasn't expecting that." She shyly looked away.

"Me neither." Wales stepped in. "But to be honest, can't the same thing be said about you Commander?" She smirked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" He asked honestly confused.

"She's talking about that face you had when you were hilariously mocking Purifier." Eugen chimed in.

"Oh right, you mentioned something about that earlier. Was I making that strange of a face?"

"Strange? _Nein_. Devilishly charming? _Sehr_." She spoke as she leaned in closer to him, a finger on her smirking lips as she stared at him with mischievous eyes.

"She's right Commander. Even I felt myself swooning a bit when I saw your face." Wales smugly added.

"U-umm…" He hesitantly took a step backwards.

"My, your normal shy self is just as charming, Master." Belfast smiled as karma found its way back to Shikikan.

"What comes around goes around Commander." Hornet said, earning laughs from everyone at Shikikan's expense.

After twenty minutes of playful banter over lunch, the ship finally arrived back at base. As they stepped out, they were welcomed by almost everyone who stayed back.

"Welcome back nya!" Akashi cheered.

"Did anyone get hurt?" Vestal asked as she eyed everyone.

"Oh! Akagi-san! Kaga-san!" Yamashiro yelled excitedly as she went up to the kitsune.

"I'm glad to see you both again. Welcome back." Fusou added.

"Ara, Yamashiro, Fusou, how nice to see more familiar faces. Are you well?" Akagi asked as she hugged Yamashiro.

"_Hai_, all has been well. Milord has treated us all very well. Speaking of which, where is he?" She asked.

"He received a call from a Vice Admiral Victoria so he's probably still on the ship deck." Kaga pointed behind her.

"Akagi-san! Kaga-san! You two are injured! What happened!?" Yamashiro worryingly asked when she noticed the numerous bandages on the two's arms and legs.

"It's nothing to worry about Yamashiro. After Kaga and I woke up, an armada of Sirens and Purifier herself ambushed us."

"_Ee_, but with Shikikan's leadership, their entire fleet was destroyed, and Purifier fled after we gravely wounded her.

"That's a relief. But just in case, could I suggest you two visit Akashi or Vestal? You can never be too careful with your injuries after all." Fusou suggested.

"Someone call nya?" Akashi purred as she popped in.

"Is it true Purifier showed up Eugen!?" Z23 asked.

"_Ja_, we were about to end her too, but Observer came at the last second and escaped with her." Eugen waved her off.

"I see,….is _Herr Kommandant_ okay?" Z23 questioned with a worried look.

"I'll tell you all about if you come with me to the showers. I actually managed to work up a bit of a sweat." Eugen smirked as she dragged a flustered Z23 trying to break free with her to the Ironblood dorms.

[Back on the ship]

"Alright sounds good. Thanks Victoria." Shikikan said as he ended his call with the Vice Admiral.

"What did she say?" Enterprise asked.

"HQ sent out a notice to all the factions to be on guard in case of a surprise attack. They aren't taking any chances with Observer's words so most of the factions have begun strengthening their frontlines as precaution." He grimaced.

"Why the long face then? Isn't it a good thing that everyone's taking careful steps?" Hornet asked.

"It is, but is just strengthening the frontlines really the right response?" He pondered aloud before shaking his head.

"Master?" Belfast asked.

"Never mind, no use in stressing over presumptions. For now, try to keep in touch with everyone back home and let me know ASAP if anything is off."

"Yes sir!"

'I say that, but what is this awful feeling I have?' He thought, not able to shake the anxious feelings he was getting.

As he and everyone else got off the ship, a voice called out to him.

"Welcome back Commander." King George V greeted. "Sheffield's given me a brief summary of what happened. Very well done."

"Thanks, KGV, anything happen while I was gone?"

"Nothing but Cleveland trying to stop Saratoga and San Diego from shooting you with a confetti and whipped cream filled cannon and a lot of paperwork still needing to be done. I truly do not envy your position." KGV chuckled.

"Thanks Cleveland." Shikikan said as he head-patted Cleveland.

"Hehe, it was nothing~" She grinned.

"On a more serious note though…" KGV said with a frown. "What's your stance on the current situation Commander?"

"As much as I want to stop them beforehand, we have no way of knowing what they're planning. All we can do is be ready to respond at a moment's notice." He sighed.

"We will be ready, Commander, but do remember to take care of yourself. There's a vast difference between your endurance level and ours." KGV consoled him as she patted him on the shoulder.

"Heh, true. But for now, you said that there's still a bunch of paperwork, right?"

"Correct, allow me to escort you there as I get you up to date."

"Master, I shall be there to fulfil my duties as today's secretary once I inform Her Majesty of the current situation." Belfast bowed before walking away towards the Royal dorms.

"So, I heard a lot happened on this mission?" Cleveland asked as she and Helena were the last ones on the dock.

"Yeah, but first, here Cleve." Helena said as she brought a plate full of Shikikan's sandwiches to her. "Commander made us a light lunch and I thought you'd want some."

"Oh! Thanks Helena!" Cleveland said as she enthusiastically started eating. "Delicious!"

Hours later, nightfall had just begun at one of the Eagle Union's most secured bases: NY Harbor.

"Urghhh, I'm SOOOOO bored!" A blue-eyed beauty with short silver hair groaned.

"Stop complaining Washington and just do your job." A beautiful dark-skinned woman with long braided black hair scolded.

"Huh? You tryna to pick a fight with me or something South Dakota!?"

"Settle down you two. You can fight later, meaning _after_ we complete this patrol." A blonde haired, blue eyed lady in a formal, yet also very alluring white uniform sighed as she stepped in between her bickering patrol members.

"Hhmph, fine." The one known as Washington huffed.

"You really should try to tone that overly violent side of you and learn to properly smile Washy. But I guess the tomboyish personality is better than no personality at all though….." The blonde heavily sighed.

"_Patrol fleet. Can you hear me? How's it going on your end, North Carolina?" _A voice from the blonde's radio asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary at the moment, Baltimore. How goes the coastal guard duty?"

"_Clear sky and calm waves all around. Perfect for a night run along the coast if you ask me." _

"Yo Baltimore! I want a tennis rematch tomorrow! Don't chicken out on me now!" A grinning Washington jumped in.

"_Heh, you're on." _Baltimore chuckled. _"Hmm? Hold that thought. Apparently the knights are picking up strange movement off the harbor. I'm going to go help them check. Let's talk some more later." _She said before signing off.

"I wonder what they saw." North Carolina pondered aloud.

"Hopefully, something interesting. I'm itching for a fight!" Washington grinned.

"Be careful what you wish Washington." The blonde sighed. "Either way, I wouldn't get your hopes up. NY Harbor is one of the most heavily fortified bases in the world. We would know well in advance if a threat does show up."

"Tsk, yeah, you're probably right about that Sis. Damn, I really wish I was in the group that went to that Azur Lane base. I couldn't be more jealous over the brawls they've had over there." Washington grumbled.

"Enterprise said that they encountered Purifier and a massive fleet with her right, South Dakota?" North Carolina asked.

"Yeah, under the leadership of the Commander over there, she reported that they wiped out the entire fleet and even heavily injured Purifier." South Dakota replied.

"Didn't they also have some sort of exercise where practically everyone on that base fought against a small handful of Kansen led by that Commander and still lost?" Washington asked.

"Yes. Just what kind of person is this Commander?" North Carolina continued to ponder aloud.

"I don't know but it sure sounds a lot more exciting over there then here." Washington complained.

BOOOOOOOM!

"WHAT!?" All three of them yelled as they heard a large explosion, right near where the nearby Newport Harbor was.

"_Patrol fleet! Come in! I repeat! Come in now!" _A new voice urgently yelled from North Carolina's radio.

"Colorado!? What's going on!?" North Carolina yelled back.

"_We've been had! The Sirens somehow sneak through all of the radar screens and scout planes we've had patrolling! They're shelling all of our facilities and there's too many of them for just the hands-on deck we have over here! Get over here ASAP before Newport Harbor falls!" _Colorado said before signing off as quickly as she entered.

"Apparently I was wrong about knowing of a threat in advance. We need to meet up with the other patrol group and get to Newport Harbor stat." North Carolina informed before dashing off.

"Looks like your wish came true." South Dakota dead panned before following after the blonde.

"When I said I wanted a fight, I didn't mean a freakin' invasion! Ah whatever, I'll make them regret messing with the Eagle Union!" The tomboy smirked before cracking her knuckles and chasing after the two.

[A few moments ago in Shikikan's office]

"And….done." Shikikan sighed as he signed off the last of the once seemingly endless stack of papers.

"Excellent work Master." Belfast smiled. "I'm sure your shoulders must be feeling quite stiff. Would you care for a shoulder rub?"

"Yes please." He immediately replied as Belfast's assumption held very true.

"Hehe, so enthusiastic. Very well allow me to relieve you of your tensions." Belfast giggled as she stepped behind his chair and began her massage.

"How does this feel Master?" She asked as she skillfully kneaded her hands into the knots in his shoulders.

"Like a great reward after such a long day. Thank you Belfast." He sighed blissfully.

"My." Unknown to Shikikan, Belfast had a very faint blush on her face.

A few minutes of comfortable silence past as Belfast continued her soothing ministrations.

"I believe that should be all of the knots. How do your shoulders feel now Master?"

Getting up and stretching his arms, he felt renewed and at the most peace he felt all day.

"Better than ever. Thank you Bel." He smiled gratefully.

"I'm glad to be of service of you Master." Belfast curtsied.

"To be honest though, I am a bit worried about coming to the point where I wouldn't be able to live without you." He chuckled.

"My, how should I react to that statement? Is living with me that unappealing?" Belfast teased, managing to fool him with her fake tears.

"N-not at all!" He panicked. Quickly thinking of how to fix this, he said the first thing on his mind. "I meant like I don't want to be a burden on you! I-I'd be honored to live with someone as hardworking and pretty as you!"

[Affinity up!]

Hearing this, Belfast's once faint blush had burst into a deep crimson one.

'D-did I just…' Realizing his bold words, Shikikan was also beginning to heavily blush.

Surprisingly to him though, instead of an awkward silence, he heard Belfast giggle and speak.

"How flattering." She smugly smiled as she stepped closer to him, her face just a few centimeters away from his. "It's a maid's duty to dedicate her all to her master. Would you like to see, Master~?"

"B-bel I-" He began.

_Brrng! Brnng! ALERT! EMERGENCY ALERT!_

Unfortunately, Shikikan was interrupted when a loud alarm-like sound rang from his desk's computer.

As the two nodded understandingly, they quickly made their way over. Accepting the call, he saw Fleet Admiral Teitoku and Vice Admiral Victoria on the screen, both with very grim looks on their faces.

'This can't get good.' He thought before saluting them. "Sir. Ma'am."

"Dire news Shikikan." Teitoku started, a very serious tone in his voice. "The Sirens have infiltrated the Eagle Union's Newport Harbor and have succeeded in destroying all of the military facilities there."

Hearing this, both him and Belfast went wide eyed.

"What I don't understand is how they got through. That area should be one of the most heavily fortified bases in the world." Victoria said.

"….Damn it…" Shikikan cussed. "What's the current status?"

"Newport Harbor is done for, but thanks to the Kansen and Eagle Union forces, almost all of the civilians there have been evacuated to the nearby NY Harbor. That said, there are far too many Sirens and not enough forces to commence a counterattack. It's taking everything to just stop them from pouring into the harbor and blowing up the city." Teitoku grimaced.

"We've sent in all of our available personnel as reinforcements, but they won't be enough to fend them off." Victoria started. "Shikikan, I know you just got back from that mission earlier today, but we need you and the Kansen there." She added all while biting her bottom lip in regret.

"Consider it done. I'll round up everyone and head out ASAP." He replied, nodding to Belfast to alert everyone. But before she could take a step, the Fleet Admiral spoke once more.

"I'm sorry, but not everyone, Shikikan. Only those from the Eagle Union." Teitoku said in an annoyed tone.

"Da-!-Fleet Admiral!? Is now really the time to be worrying about political affairs!?" Victoria yelled.

"Don't you think I know that already Victoria? At ease." He sternly replied. "This wasn't my own decision to make, it was the other members of High Command as well. Aside from their pride of not wanting to be saved by our once sworn enemies and potentially being indebted to them, they decided that relations will only worsen if you brought along the other factions with you to save the Eagles' territory."

"Even if it meant losing this war?" Shikikan replied, his voice far from just annoyed.

"Trust me, if it were up to just me, your entire base would already be on route to deal with this whole situation." Teitoku sighed.

"…What about those in the Royal Navy? Can I at least have them come with?" Shikikan asked.

"Normally that would the case, but apparently there has been a falling out recently between the Eagle Union and Royal Navy leaders. Borders have been closed on both sides and any trespassing will be treated as a sign of war until further notice." He shook his head in both frustration and exhaustion.

'Starting to really hate politics and drama right about now…' Shikikan sighed in rising annoyance.

Just then the door to his office swung open, revealing both Enterprise and Akashi.

"Commander! The Sirens invaded the Eagle's-!" Enterprise started, only to realize she just interrupted a very important meeting.

"Seems like they already know nya…."

"S-sorry…"

"It's fine Enterprise." Shikikan smiled weakly before getting back to business.

'At this pace, there won't be anything left to save.' He reasoned

"Fleet Admiral, with just the Eagle Union girls, I'll be heading over immediately. Please inform them to hold out until we get there." Shikikan saluted.

"My sincerest apologies for the burdens, Shikikan." Teitoku saluted back before he bowed his head apologetically.

"Please be careful Shikikan. I'll do whatever I can to help from here." Victoria added before they ended the call.

"Enterprise gather all of the Eagle Union girls and tell them to get ready for a sortie ASAP. We're going to repel the Sirens from NY Harbor, one way or another." Shikikan ordered.

"Yes sir!" Enterprise saluted before darting out of the room.

"Okay, so did you need something, Akashi?"

"I overheard the news from Enterprise and just wanted to let you know that I've already told the Manjuus to prepare your ship for departure _nya_."

"Thanks Akashi." He walked over and rubbed the green haired cat girl on the head.

"Master, will you yourself be alright though?" Belfast asked with a concerned look. "You've been up since sunrise and have been hard at work up until now."

"I should be fine for the most part. Your shoulder massage really freed me from most of today's stress." He smiled as he tried to assure her.

"But I'm sure you're still exhausted though. You were practically falling asleep just earlier." She argued.

"Actually _nya,_ I might have just the thing for a tired Shikikan _nya_." Akashi said with a lightbulb seemingly shining above her head. "Meet me on the docks before you get on your ship _nya._" She said before dashing out.

Before making his way for the door as well, he stopped at the doorknob when he caught a glimpse of the sheathed sword dangling on the wall by the sword strap he got from Akashi.

'Better safe than sorry, right?' He reasoned as he grabbed the sword strap and affixed it to his hip.

"May I suggest bringing this firearm you had in your desk with you as extra precaution?" Belfast offered as she brought over the desert eagle he had stowed in his office desk in one hand and the holster strap for it in the other.

"Thanks Bel." He said as he geared himself up.

"I sincerely hope that you will not need to fight yourself." Belfast frowned. "I regret not being able to come with and protect you."

"We can't help it Bel. Politics and all." Shikikan sighed. "Let's hurry." He added before the two rushed to the docks.

[A few minutes later, on the docks]

"What is this?"

"It's Green Bull nya! Not the healthiest thing _nya_, but it's the most caffeine packed and adrenaline boosting energy drink money can buy, so drink up _nya_! I stocked some more on your ship too just in case _nya_!"

Opening the can, he took a sip of the bubbly sweet beverage. "Huh, not bad. Thanks Akashi."

"Anything for one of my best customers _nya_!~"

'I don't like the sound of that…..' He sweat dropped. "I'm guessing you already added this to my tab?"

"Fufu, nothing better than a Shikikan quick on the uptake _nya_."

"Commander…..all systems green." Laffey called out from behind him.

Taking a deep breath, he resolved himself for whatever's about to come. "I'm off, please take care of the base while I'm gone."

"Understood Master. May you victoriously return safe and sound." Belfast curtsied.

"Be careful and stay safe _nya!"_

Not even a second had past after he got on board, the ship made a beeline for NY Harbor.

"Drat, we just missed him." Zuikaku frowned as she arrived with Shoukaku a few minutes too late.

"You should've told us sooner Akashi." Shoukaku frowned.

"There was no time _nya_. It was an emergency request and I had to ring up Shikikan's bill _nya_." Akashi shook her head.

"I wonder how Akagi-senpai and Atago will react when they find out that instead of telling them that Shikikan was leaving to go fight a war, you were more interested in making a quick buck." Shoukaku evilly smirked.

"_NYA!?_ Anything but that _nya!_ I don't have enough lives for them both _nya!_" Akashi cried out as she latched onto Shoukaku's legs and desperately begged for her life.

[Back on Shikikan's ship]

"Full speed ahead. We haven't a second to lose." He directed his Manjuu crewmen.

"Commander, do you have a plan?" Enterprise asked, her face pale from the news of the current situation still.

Nodding his head, he walked over to her and the other Eagle girls, all of them just as pale as Enterprise currently was.

"For starters, please understand that I know how you girls feel, trust me." He said, trying to gain their attention. "We _will_ stop them, and we _will_ save everyone there."

That seemed to have managed to get through to them as they all stopped looking as if they were silently screaming and panicking in their minds.

Since everyone was still at a loss for words, he continued. "Tell me about NY Harbor and if you can, who you know that's there now. The more information I can get about the city's setup and our allies there, the better I can prepare our counterattack."

This managed to get them to break their silence as they explained all they knew about the city and about their friends there.

"Okay so in short, NY Harbor is known for its massive bay area and trading harbor in addition to its seemingly impenetrable defenses that fortify a large sprawling city." He summarized earning small nods from the girls. "Then if we include all of your experienced friends there, I can confidently confirm one thing to you girls."

He paused, earning curious gazes from everyone.

"That you all are acting way too paranoid right now." He stated, earning surprised looks from everyone.

Walking over to pat Laffey and Eldridge on the head, he explained. "From what I understand, your friends there are all experienced fighters and that the Eagle Union bows its head to no one. Believe in them to hold out until we get there. Otherwise, you won't be able to smile at them like the heroes they're all waiting for."

"Alright! Now that's how you fire someone up!" Phoenix yelled, her eyes literally blazing with determination.

"Those Sirens got another thing coming if they think they can just waltz on into our turf!" Hornet grinned.

"Come on, get motivated, now! Sit around like this and you'll go dumb!" San Diego said as she ran around and got everyone on their feet.

"Sandy's right! Come, let's go do some warmups before our performance!" Saratoga added as she got everyone to follow her out of the lounge.

"Thanks for that Commander." Cleveland smiled as she and Shikikan stayed behind.

"I promised to do whatever I could to help you girls right?"

"Hehe, yeah." She grinned. "I finally get to reunite with my sisters after so long, but I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Can't say I blame you for that, Clevebro." He teased.

"Don't call me Clevebro!" She yelled.

"But since they're your sisters, I'm sure they're working as hard as they can so they can see their awesome big sister again." He smiled as he patted her head.

[Affinity Up!]

"G-geez…." Cleveland blushed.

"That said, chin up! They're going to want to see you grinning and brimming with confidence once we get there!"

"Okay!" She happily cheered. "I'm gonna go join everyone else and do some warmups, wanna come?"

"I'll pass, I want to run some simulations in my head before we get close." He replied as he chugged on another can of Green Bull.

"Alrighty, but I'd go easy on those if I were you Commander. Vestal hates that stuff and will probably not be very happy if she sees you drinking so many." Cleveland chuckled nervously.

"Y-yeah you're probably right about that. Let's just keep this a secret between us." He sweat-dropped.

"Sure thing!" She cheered before heading on out, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

'Now then, how the hell am I going to make this mission a success?' He questioned, unconsciously disregarding Cleveland's warning and opening another can while he walked to the command room.

As soon as he stepped in he noticed two things. The first being Laffey fast asleep against the wall and a Manjuu floating up and down in front of you, seemingly telling him to follow it.

"_Shikikan? Can you hear me?" A voice called out when he followed it to a large monitor. Tapping the screen, a familiar face appeared. _

"Victoria? Yes, I hear you loud and clear." He replied.

"_I have some updates for you regarding this mess. The first being that the force you will be dealing with is roughly 10 times larger than the one you fought earlier today, with about 40% of them being Siren elites." _

"…Please tell me that's the bad news."

"_It is, but there's still more bad news." She sighed. "Newport Island has been completely devastated but luckily most of the civilians there have been evacuated. Unfortunately, though, the ships they're all on are being attacked by the Sirens. The Kansen are doing everything they can to protect the ships, but they aren't going to last long enough for the rescue ships to get away. Once you get there, prioritize clearing out an escape route for the rescue ships first and foremost." _

"So, they're indiscriminately killing everyone and destroying everything that moves." Shikikan scowled.

"_Alien invaders through and through, but I do have some slightly good news. The island supply depot for the Kansen near the harbor is still mostly intact so you will have a chance for them to resupply before you push further in." _

"They are most likely planning to use the supplies there for themselves, so I'm guessing it's being heavily guarded?" He guessed.

"_Unfortunately, yes….I'm really sorry to have to throw so much at you Shikikan." Victoria frowned. _

"Don't worry about it, as long as I have the girls with me, I'll manage." He said, trying to sound positive.

"_Thanks for that Shikikan. I'll try to coordinate with the Eagle Union forces and see if they can lend a hand, but for now, please do what you can and stay safe." She requested before signing off. _

'How bad would it be if I started drinking some liquor right now?' He sighed as he slumped down against the nearby wall and massaged his temples. Not hearing the sound of footsteps, he soon felt a small hand on his head.

Looking up, he noticed that Laffey walked over and was currently patting his head.

"Are you okay Commander?"

"The head-patting helps." He joked. "I'm just a bit stressed is all. I kinda sound like a hypocrite now after that pep talk huh?"

"Not really." She shook her head. "Laffey overheard what Miss Victoria said and doesn't blame you. Laffey thinks Commander trying his best is very cool." She comforted him as she continued patting his head.

"Thanks, Laffey." He smiled slightly. "Did you come here to sleep?"

"Mhm yeah, Laffey is used to being alone, but I think I like it better when you're with me, Commander... Mmm... Zzzzzz..." She started before curling up onto his lap and instantly falling asleep.

'Guess I'm brainstorming from the floor while giving a destroyer a lap pillow.' He joked as he gently stroked the bunny girl's hair.

As he looked up at the ceiling, he ran scenario after scenario in his head, trying to come up with the best possible countermeasure that would yield the least number of casualties. Unknown to him, he had apparently been lost in thought for a little over two hours now, only to be brought back to reality when he felt someone poking his cheeks.

"Hmm? Laffey?

"Commander, we should go. Laffey thinks we will be there soon."

'Now or never huh?' He steeled himself as picked himself and Laffey up off the floor. "Let's go."

On the bow of the ship stood all of the Eagle Union girls, all staring straight ahead at their beloved homeland.

"You can see the smoke pillars from here…" Saratoga observed.

"Are the others okay?" Vestal worried.

"Girls." Shikikan called out. "You're assuming the worst again. For all we know, those smoke pillars could be the Siren ships your friends blew up."

"He's right! We gotta focus and get ready to lend a hand!" San Diego enthusiastically cheered.

"Yeah!" Everyone cheered.

"There's the Eagle Union energy I know." He cheered. "Alright so here's the plan. There are two things we have to do before we can start cleansing this area of Sirens. First is to establish an escape route for the rescue ships the Newport Harbor civilians are on. Second will be to clear out the Sirens guarding the island supply depot. Once secured, take the chance to resupply while we wait for your friends to meet up with us there."

"Yes sir!" They roared as they materialized their riggings.

"Looks like they've sent us a welcoming party, Commander!" Hornet yelled when she spotted multiple incoming planes.

"Commander! I'm getting an SOS transmission from the rescue ships holding the civilians up ahead!" Helena added.

"Alright I'll keep this short! Right now, we are extremely outnumbered, so we'll move as one large group. All cruisers and destroyers will advance to the ships and clear out the enemies around them. Enterprise and Hornet will prioritize gaining air control while Saratoga provides cover fire for everyone on the vanguard. Show the Sirens what it means to be an enemy of the Eagle Union!"

"Yes sir!" They all yelled before jumping off the ship and charging forth.

'Doesn't seem like they sent that many after the rescue ships, but regardless I need to stay sharp.' He resolved himself.

Turning on his radio, he started a transmission. "This is Azur Lane's Kansen Commander. Does anyone copy?"

"_This is Ensign Weston of the Eagle Union. I'm in charge of leading the Newport civilians to safety and boy am I glad to hear we finally got some help!"_

"Understood. I've had the Kansen head out and clear an escape path for you."

"_Best new I've heard all night!_ _You're a lifesaver!"_

"Heh, thank the girls, not me. By the way, can you contact your superiors and let them know I'm on the scene?"

"_Will do Commander! I'll patch you right over to Rear Admiral Torrez!" _The man said before the call cut off. Barely ten seconds passed before he heard another much louder voice.

"_Rear Admiral Torrez. Are you Azur Lane's additional backup!?" _The voice yelled over the sound of explosions in the background.

"Yes, Azur Lane's Kansen Commander, reporting for duty."

"_Don't got a name? Wait Kansen Commander? Oh! I've heard your story! Wait, never mind that! You're working with Weston to get the civilians to safety right now right?" _

'Story?' Shikikan questioned before shaking his head. "Yes sir."

"_Much appreciated. I don't have time, so I'll keep this simple. I'm the man in charge of guarding the two harbors here, but as you can tell, I failed miserably and lost one of them." The voice grieved. "It's taking everything and everyone I have to just maintain a defensive wall for NY City so I can't spare any help for you. I've given the Kansen we had here free rein to act on their own accord, but I've lost all contact with them. If you do happen to meet them, they'll surely be able to help you get to us in the harbor."_ He continued before another loud explosion roared through on Torrez's end.

"_Rear Admiral Torrez! They've breached the south!" _A far away sounding voice in the radio yelled.

"_Argh, dammit!"_ He yelled. _"I need to go, Commander! I hope the stories about you are true, cuz we really are going to need a miracle!"_ Torrez exclaimed before ending the call.

'No seriously, what was he going on about me and what exactly are they fighting?' He questioned before focusing back on the girls.

From his viewpoint, Enterprise, Vestal, and Hornet have successfully gotten control over the sky above the escape route and have moved to disable the Siren carriers from launching anymore drones at the rescue ships. Laffey and Eldridge were easily dodging barrage after barrage, getting their attention while Cleveland, Helena, San Diego, and Phoenix blasted right through the mass-produced Siren ships' hulls. And back near the rescue ships, Saratoga had her planes circling around them, shooting down any planes that got near.

"_Weston here, I'm going to resume our escape!" _

"Copy t-" Shikikan tried to say but was thrown off balance when a nearby explosion rocked his ship. "What!?" Looking over, he discovered that more mass-produced Siren ships had appeared and were opening fire on him.

"_H-hey, you alright!?" _

"I'm fine, just get out of here while you can!" Shikikan yelled at Weston before quickly ending the call, only for another to instantly come in.

"_Commander! Are you okay?" _Enterprise yelled into her radio.

"Yeah! Prioritize getting the rescue ships out of here!" He yelled. "They've switched their focus to me, so I'm going to lead their fire away from the escape route!"

"_That's too reckless Commander!"_ Enterprise argued.

"There's no other choice for me but to run! Just focus on getting the civilians to safety first!"

"_..Understood. Stay safe Commander!" _She relented before ending the call.

Making his way over to his ship's cannon control panel, he fired multiple smoke rounds ahead, creating a wide smokescreen-filled path in front of his ship.

"Alright, full speed ahead through the smoke!" He ordered as the Manjuus kicked the ship's speed into maximum overdrive.

Charging blindly through the smoke, the ship rocked violently from the seemingly endless volleys of cannon fire exploding into the smoke-filled ocean surface.

"Tsk, don't let up! We're done for if we stop!" He ordered as he aimed the cannon back at the massive fleet and started firing back.

'I don't have the firepower to sink them, but disabling their guns is another thing!' He reasoned as he trained the cannon and blasted away, managing to 'snipe' two battleships' main cannons and causing them to violently explode.

"_Commander! A bombing squadron is coming in! None of us will make it!"_ Saratoga yelled into the radio.

"Seriously!?" He grunted as he saw the bombers closing in.

_Chirp!_

The Manjuus in charge of the AA gun did their best to shoot them all down, but a few managed to get through and began dropping their payloads.

'Damn it! Keep it going full speed and get ready for some evasive maneuvers!' He yelled as the Manjuus scurried to get the job done.

The ship's engines roared as it sped through the waters, doing its best to avoid getting caught in the carpet bomb run behind him.

"Fire the AA gun at the ones in the middle! Make a wide enough gap so that none of the bombs will directly drop on top us!" Shikikan yelled as the Manjuus shot down the three bombers in the center.

Unable to completely outrun the bombers, the ship shook left and right as the bombers still airborne continued dropping their payloads on the waters all around the ship.

Thrown onto the floor, the Shikikan struggled a bit to get back up. "You all alright?" He asked, receiving positive sounding chirps all around. Looking out, he noticed that the bombers were returning for round two.

"That's enough out of you!" Saratoga yelled as her planes easily shot down the bombers and soared around Shikikan's damaged ship.

Jumping on board, she called out to him. "Commander are you alright!?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm used to a lot worse." He sighed.

"Phew, that's good to hear. Ship's not looking to good though. But anyway, some guy named Weston asked us to tell you he said thanks for getting him and the rescue ships out of here. They've met up with the Azur Lane reinforcements and are a safe distance away now." Saratoga informed.

"Alright, then that makes the first part of this mission a success. Could you let everyone know to clear out any nearby enemies before meeting up with us here?"

"Roger!"

'Barely half hour in and I almost get blown up. This is not going to be easy.' He complained before looking over to the completely devastated Newport Island in total flames.

'Damn warmongers…' He scowled.

Once the Eagle Union girls cleared out the remaining mass-produced Siren ships, they all hopped back on Shikikan's damaged ship.

"Yikes, your ship's looking worse for wear." Phoenix joked as she looked at the beating the ship took.

"Commander! The way you escaped those explosions behind you was like a real action movie!" San Diego said excitedly with stars in her eyes.

"W-we _are_ in the middle of a battle Sandy…" Shikikan dead-panned. "And I'd rather never have to go through that again, so let's move on to the next mission: securing the island supply depot. Were any of you able to get in touch with your friends based here yet?"

"Not a word. They either have their hands full or their radios are being jammed." Helena replied.

"Urgh…., alright then it's up to just us to retake it." He sighed.

"Commander, I think it be for the best if one of us stays behind to safeguard your ship. It won't last another bomb run like that." Enterprise suggested.

"Leave it to me! As a knight of the sea, safeguarding Commander from threats in the sky is just up my alley!" Cleveland volunteered.

"Thanks, Cleve." He patted her head. "Let's go!"

"Yeah!"

[Unknown area]

"Outta my way!" A voice roared as she blasted a heavy barrage and sunk three Siren battleships. "Tsk, weaklings, the lot of them."

"Nice work Washy."

"Hey! Washy! Carolina!" A voice cried out.

"Long Island? What's up?" Washington asked.

"I'm seeing a bunch of explosions off the coast of Newport Island! I think someone's fighting Sirens over there!" The small light carrier pointed towards the far east.

"From that direction?" The blonde looked over. "Are they the additional Azur Lane reinforcements?"

"I can't tell! There's too many Siren planes in the sky for me to be able to get any closer!"

"What's the plan North Carolina?" South Dakota asked.

"Want me to go help?" Another dark-skinned beauty lazily asked.

"We've been given free rein to act on our own, but our ammo might be an issue. Let's all meet up with the reinforcements and convince them to help us get some supplies." The blonde decided.

"Roger!" Long Island replied.

"Alright! Time to work out!" The silver haired battleship smirked rather evilly.

"You really need to work on your smile more, Washy." North Carolina sweat-dropped.

[Back with Shikikan]

"Incoming fighter planes from the east and west!"

"Cleveland! San Diego! Vestal! You're up!"

"Leave it to me!"

"I don't know what's going on, but okay!"

"Stay safe everyone! Come to me if you have an injury!"

"Eldridge! Laffey! Move on in with Helena and Phoenix! Saratoga! Give them some cover!"

"Roger!"

Currently Shikikan and his fleet were engaging in a full out assault on the island supply depot in hopes of being able to resupply before charging further into the invading Siren force closing in on NY Harbor.

"Commander! Incoming enemy reinforcements from the south!"

"We'll be flanked! Enterprise clear out the south! Hornet, go north and give us an emergency escape route just in case!"

"Yes sir!"

"How long have they been planning all this!?" Hornet grunted as she had to dive out of a widespread barrage.

"Enough to get build this massive force! Keep up with me Hornet!" Enterprise yelled before sending another squadron of fighters out.

"Relax. I have fast hands!" She grinned as returned fire with a Doolittle Airstrike.

"_Commander, they've set up AA guns on the island!_" Saratoga radioed in.

'Damn it, if only I-No! No excuses! Work with the cards you're given!' He scolded himself.

"Attention everyone!" He radioed everyone. "They've fortified the island, so we've got no choice but to consider it as partial collateral damage! We'll scavenge what we can once we make it ashore so don't worry about hitting the depot!"

"Yes sir!"

[With Laffey, Eldridge, Helena, Phoenix, and Saratoga]

"Watch out! Two Smasher classes up ahead!" Helena warned.

"I'll try my best!" Eldridge said before coating herself, Helena, and Laffey in her Operation Rainbow ability.

"Helena, Phoenix, and I will take the one on the right! You two get the left!" Saratoga commanded as she launched 2 squadrons of bombers.

Noticing the incoming threat, the Smasher focused her attention upwards and began firing relentlessly, failing to notice the blue and red blurs on her right.

"Radar scan complete! SG give me your strength! Phoenix aim right! I'll go left!" Helena cried out before she and Phoenix blasted away at the Smasher class's weak points.

Brought to a knee, the Siren turned her attention to her attacker.

"Where are you looking, I'm over here~" Saratoga mocked before having her bombers rain their loads onto the Siren and engulfing her in a massive explosion.

With Laffey and Eldridge, the Smasher they were blasting away at was getting annoyed at how no matter how many cannons she had trained on them, none of her shots were landing. Jumping backwards to gain some distance, the Siren was knocked right back as the second squadron of Saratoga's bombers blasted the Siren's rigging from behind.

"Go Laffey! Eldridge!" Saratoga yelled.

"Ok!" The two said before jumping right at the Siren from opposite sides. From point blank, the two destroyers launched their torpedoes, tearing the downed Siren apart and sinking deep into the sea as bits and pieces of her former self, literally.

"Good work everyone!" Helena cheered.

"Nice…job." Eldridge said as she and Laffey high fived each other.

"Okay!" Saratoga started. "I've gotten word from Commander to step back a bit. Hornet and Enterprise are about to bombard the entire island."

As soon as she finished, the whirring of planes roared throughout the area as countless bombers flew above them and over the island and its Siren defenders. Dropping their payloads, the explosions lit up the sky, obliterating all of the Siren defenses and mass-produced fleets surrounding the island.

"Ahaha! Feels great not having to hold back!" Hornet cheered.

"Is that all of them, Helena?" Enterprise asked.

"Yes, the islands clea-EH!?" Helena panicked. "Commander! Incoming Siren ships appearing from thin air behind you!"

Wide-eyed, he looked behind the ship to see four Peace Breakers, two Conductor classes, and one additional figure that triggered something rather unpleasant inside of him.

"Greetings Azur Lane and…'Shikikan' you call yourself now?"

'Oh great….' Shikikan scowled as he recognized the tall, wild haired Siren.

"What's the matter Shikikan? Not happy to see your beloved Tester Beta?" She smirked evilly.

"If I were to be honest, I'm more inclined to throw up after seeing so many gross looking things in front of me all at once." He coldly snapped back his expression anything but amused.

"C-commander?" Cleveland stuttered in surprise.

"Yikes, I didn't think I'd see this side of him twice in a day." Hornet frowned.

"Twice? Wait, is this what you meant when you were telling me how Commander was acting strange during that mission earlier today?" Vestal asked as she looked over towards Enterprise.

Silently nodding in reply, Enterprise jumped between the Shikikan and the Sirens, her trigger fingers itching to fire her arrows.

"How cruel of you. After all those gifts we showered you with, this is how you treat us." Tester mocked with crocodile tears.

"If that's what you call a gift then I owe Purifier an apology for calling her the dumb one." Shikikan spat.

'D-damn, Commander.' Hornet thought as she had a watchful eye on the enemies and a very attentive ear on Commander's clap backs.

"You're pushing your luck, test subject. You should be very well aware I could end you in an instant if I so choose to." Tester glared before a disturbing grin grew on her face. "Take for instance all those dead humans on that burning island back there. All it took was a few barrages, hehe. Quite pathetic, don't you agree?."

As soon as he heard that, Shikikan fell silent as shadows casted over his eyes, the unsettling feeling in him beginning to boil over.

"How are you girls doing on ammo?" He asked as he turned over to the Eagle Union girls.

"Enough to paint the sea red with the lot of them." An angered Phoenix replied as everyone nodded in agreement.

Before speaking, Enterprise glanced over to Helena, who had her hand to her SG radar, seemingly listening into something.

"Commander." Enterprise calmly called out. "Permission to engage and wipe out the enemy?"

Looking over to Helena as well, the bluenette gave him a brief affirmative nod.

"Permission granted." He replied without hesitation.

"I completely understand how you feel right now, but don't be too rash, Enterprise." Vestal frowned.

Nodding her head, Enterprise shouted. "Warriors of the Eagle Union! Engage!"

As soon as she did, everyone charged forth towards the awaiting Siren elites. As the Kansen were closing in, Tester spoke.

"How foolish of you to leave your 'king piece' unattended. Perhaps I'll claim checkmate with one of my testing 'pawns'." Tester smirked before a mechanical figure jumped out of the water near the Shikikan's ship and jumped on board, landing on the opposite side of the bow from him.

Shadows still casted over his eyes, he turned around to face the figure. It had a scarecrow-like build seemingly made out of a fusion of scrap metals connected together by exposed wires and cables. While not very tall or imposing, it had a single large robotic eye that glowed dark yellow for a face and had two long blades in its hands, giving it an overall rather eerie appearance. Realizing that it looked very familiar, he felt a sharp jolt of pain surging through his body as one of his memories he thought he had locked away came back with a vengeance.

"Remember these pawns, test subject?" Tester mocked.

[Flashback]

"_Concluding test thirteen of Project Rebirth."_ Tester Beta stated as she stood in front of a massive square pit. In the center was a badly bloodied and battered Shikikan collapsed face first on the cold hard steel floor. All around him were scattered piles of broken-down scrap metal and a large group of the scarecrow-like figures standing around him.

"_Test subject's body is still unable to withstand improvements made during the reconstruction processes in tests one through five. Further research is necessary for successful completion of Project Rebirth."_ She added before floating down to him and picking him up by the chain collar around his neck.

"_Such a fragile species and yet they someone dominate their planet. How strange." She smirked. "You should be thankful to Empress. After all, she's the one who gave you this opportunity to transcend your pitiful race and s–" _

[End of flashback]

Although Shikikan was dead silent and had a cold glare plastered on his face, inside him was an unholy rage and hatred that he was slowly beginning to lose control over.

With its glowing yellow eye, the mechanical being locked onto Shikikan and charged at him with both blades reared back, ready to slice him in two. Or at least, that's what it intended to do.

As soon as it was in range, Shikikan drew his own blade and stopped the droid dead in its tracks.

With a cold hate-filled glare, he shoved the droid back with the sword and charged forth, swiftly beheading the now lifeless scrap metal as it collapsed onto the floor.

Not even a second later, four more erupted out of the water and lunged at him.

Instead of moving out of the way, Shikikan quickly pulled out his desert eagle and shot the two in front of him right in their eyes, which seemed to be as effective as beheading them since they stopped moving completely. Following up, he turned around and dodged the four blades aimed for his head. Spinning around, he cleaved the head clean off the one on his right before charging forth and stabbing the other one right in its eye.

As he ripped the sword back out, the droid dropped dead on the deck at the same time the two he shot a few seconds earlier crashed into the ocean.

"Not bad, but still just as expected of you." Tester mocked.

"Still playing with garbage huh?"

"As if we need to actually use precious resources to deal with you weak humans." She waved him off.

"So not going to deny you play with said humans' garbage?"

"…Perhaps you need to be retrained and taught your place, **again**." She hissed before ten more erupted out of the ocean.

"Commander I'm on my way!" Cleveland said as she tried to make her way back to him, only to be stopped by a wall of explosions in front of her.

"What now!?" She grunted. Looking to her left, she saw that more Peace Breakers were incoming and about to fire again, this time at Shikikan.

"Commander look out!" Cleveland yelled as saw the Sirens' barrages descending upon his ship. Before Shikikan could give the order to the Manjuus to dive into the water, a tall dark-skinned figure stepped in between him and the barrage.

"This is your stop!" She yelled before she brought up a large and heavy looking shield and took the brunt of all the incoming cannon-fire meant for Shikikan's ship. Following up, she turned around and with her battleship rigging, blew up all of the newly emerged droids with one well aimed battery.

"W-wait! That's-!" Saratoga started, unable to control her smile.

"Oh!" Hornet excitedly yelled from afar. "You made it just in time! South Dakota!"

Briefly nodding her head to Hornet, she turned back to face Shikikan. "You must be the Commander. I am South Dakota. I shall become your shield and protect you from all cannon fire." She stated as she stood at eye level with him.

Shikikan stood at a respectable 5'11", so the fact that she was just as tall as he was and that she had battleship-class rigging behind her gave her an air of overwhelming strength, enough to bring Shikikan out of his previous silently enraged trance.

"Thank you." He started. "Would you be willing to help us out here some more?"

"We were all given the orders of acting on our own volition until you showed up. That said, your will is now my command, Commander" She stoically replied.

"We?" He asked.

[On the front lines vs. Tester]

"Tsk, it would seem I've miscalculated and underestimated the Kansen stationed here." Tester said with an annoyed frown.

"Hell yeah ya did!" Another voice roared before a devastating barrage of cannon-fire engulfed Tester and the Siren elites around her.

"Ha! That makes 18 for me! Hope you and your sister can keep up, Alabama!"

"Uh….you were keeping count, Washington?" Another dark-skinned beauty with white twin tails and tribal like markings on her cheeks and torso asked.

"Of course, I was! This is my chance to prove who's the strongest battleship in town!" Washington grinned.

"Washy, continue this later. Seems like that barrage didn't clear out all of them."

"Y-yikes, that's a lot of enemies…"

"South Carolina! Washington! Alabama! Long Island! You're all here too!" Cleveland grinned.

"Yo Cleve." Washington smirked. "Don't think you can have all this fun for yourselves."

"Don't forget about us Clevebro!" Another voice yelled, revealing herself to be a young girl with short silver hair tied in small pigtails.

"DON'T CALL ME—wait, that voice!" Cleveland asked before quickly looking over to her right. "Denver! Columbia! Montpelier!"

"Yo Big Sis! Long time no see!" One of them said before blowing a bubble with her bubblegum.

"Sucks how it had to be during an invasion though." The one with long silver hair and a similar cape to Cleveland deadpanned.

"Yeah, but never mind that, we need help clearing the Sirens out of this area so we can get to the supply depot!"

"Hoo-yah!" Her sisters cheered as they charged forth, clearing out the sky of any and all Siren planes in their path.

"_Cleveland. This is South Dakota. Come in."_ She radioed.

"Hey Dakota! Nice timing getting here when you did!"

"_I'll take over as Commander's shield, go with the rest of the knights and eliminate all the Sirens." _

"You got it!" She agreed before chasing after her sisters.

In the distance where the smoke cloud caused by the Eagle Union battleships faded away, a very displeased Tester stood alone.

"Alright, I'll admit I almost felt that."

"Well I'm just warming up so tell me how you feel after I get serious." Alabama lazily replied as she pointed her giant scythe at her.

"Don't think you'll get away wreaking havoc on Eagle Union turf, Siren. You'll pay dearly for the damages." Washington smirked as she cracked her knuckles.

"Well aren't you Eagle Union girls full of yourself." Tester replied before snapping her fingers and forming several portals around her. From them came numerous Peace Breaker, Smasher, Strategist, Oceana, and Navigator class Sirens.

"I've no interest in the likes of you so I'll be taking my leave for now, have fun." Tester mocked before escaping into one portal.

"Tsk, damn coward." Washington scoffed before turning to Alabama. "But anyway, since you lost count, how about we restart with this lot?"

"Fine by me, these are the types of odds I can get behind." Alabama said with a blood thirsty smile as she spun her scythe in her hand.

"..I see. Understood. Thanks Helena." North Carolina said before ending her radio call. "Looks like you two are in luck. We've got orders from the Commander to go all out and clear out every Siren here before resupplying at the depot."

"I'm liking this Commander already! Now I really wish I went to that base!" Washington grinned wildly.

"We'll leave the air support to you then, Long Island." North Carolina smiled, stopping the light carrier from tip toeing away any further.

"…I just wanted to grind the new event in my game, why'd they have to invade here and now?" She complained with two comical rivers of tears running down her face. "But fine, this ghost will haunt these bad guys for ruining my all-night gaming marathon plans!"

[A few minutes earlier with Shikikan]

"_Commander, are we still going with the original plan?"_ Helena radioed.

"Yeah, good work on breaking through the radio jamming waves and sending out that distress signal, Helena. Relay to the others to keep shelling and sinking every Sirens in sight."

"_Will do Commander!"_

"Commander, have you fought these…things before? You seemed to know how to defeat them." South Dakota asked as she literally kicked the droids off his ship.

"Long story short, yeah. They had me fight wave after wave of them until I fell unconscious, all while spouting about how it was all for the sake of gaining new knowledge and crap. Tsk, they even had the audacity to say it was for my own good." Shikikan scowled as he reminisced.

"I see. You've had it rough…sorry, I'm not good very good at consoling others."

"Don't worry about it. It's the thought that counts." He assured her. "But anyway, about the Kansen stationed here, is this all of you?"

"No. This is only about a third of us. The others went into NY Harbor to help the civilians evacuate and help defend the port." South Dakota informed.

'So, they seriously planned to take over this base. With an invasion force this large, you'd think someone on watch duty would've spotted them before they got this close. Sure, they have their portals but still, something's off here.' Shikikan skepticized.

"Hey South Dakota, did anything seem….strange before the Sirens started attacking?"

"Hmm…" She hummed. "Well now that I think about it, our radios were acting up and the patrols we had out should have spotted the Sirens well in advance, but for some reason they didn't."

"I've got a bad feeling about all this…but for now, let's focus on what's in front of us."

"Agreed." She nodded.

Overlooking the battlefield from the south, the Eagle Union girls were in a full out brawl.

In the east, he saw that Enterprise, Hornet, and Saratoga had finished sinking the mass-produced carriers and battleships and began to flank around to the newly emerged Siren elites.

In the west, Siren planes dropped by the dozen as San Diego, Vestal, Cleveland and three unknown figures to Shikikan darted around while Helena, Phoenix, Laffey, and Eldridge circled around and blasted away at the burning Strategist, Navigator, and Oceana class Sirens.

And in the north were four more unknown faces, three with battleship rigging and one shorter one with carrier-like rigging. Of the three battleships, two were in close quarters combat.

The one with silver hair had ducked under a Peace Breaker's cannon fire and landed a sharp right hook at its jaw. Following up, she threw a strong left hook, then another right, then another left, and so on as she bombarded the Siren with a flurry of heavy punches. With the Siren down on the ground, the Kansen grabbed onto both of the downed Siren's legs and began spinning around at a blinding speed.

"Really Washington? A giant swing throw?" South Dakota dead panned as she watched on.

'A what?' Shikikan questioned but didn't ask aloud as he was too busy watching the Kansen finally stop and throw the Peace Breaker at two unsuspecting Strategists, knocking them all down.

"Outta my sights! All of you!" She loudly yelled before adding the finishing touch and blowing all three of them up sky high with a courageous shelling.

Over by the other Kansen with a giant scythe in her hands, she charged head on at a Smasher that was desperately trying to land a hit via nonstop cannon fire. Unfortunately for her, the Kansen dodged with acrobatic-like ease before she closed the gap and sliced the Siren in half vertically.

Seemingly intimidated, two Oceana classes turned around and tried to gain some distance, but the Kansen had other plans as she chucked her scythe and impaled the back of the one of the left's head. Distracted by her ally dropping dead, the Oceana looked back up, only to see that the Kansen had jumped high up and smashed a brutal flying axe kick to her face.

Walking over to where her scythe was, the Kansen ripped it out of the dead Siren's head before walking back over to where the remaining Ocean laid. With a fearful expression, the remaining Oceana class laid helpless as the Kansen lifted her scythe up and reaped the Siren's head clean off.

"You two really need to work on your violent tendencies, but since we're a bit low on ammo, I'll look the other way this time." The blonde Kansen sighed before spinning around and landing a heel kick on a drone diving right for her, blowing it up on contact.

Seeing more coming in hot, she gracefully dodged bullet after bullet before taking the offensive and kicking down drone after drone. With each spinning heel kick, front kick, and round house kick, she slowly closed the distance to the Strategist launching the drones at her before blasting the last of her ammo right into the Siren's head and sending it crashing down backwards.

"S-sorry North Carolina! I didn't see that one!" The short carrier apologized.

"No harm done." The blonde patted her head. "Good work on dealing with the planes while we finished them off."

"Ehehe, it was nothing. I struggled more in impossible difficulty modes."

"….I should apologize to Sandy later for scolding her for saying this battle's like an action movie…" Shikikan commented as he watched on in awe.

"Apology accepted!" The cruiser in question cheered into her radio. _"Oh, by the way, Cleveland said to tell you that the coast is clear!"_

"And Tester?" He asked.

"_Who's that?"_ The ditzy red head asked.

"_North Carolina says she escaped into a portal, Commander."_ Helena stepped in.

"Tsk, sounds like something she'd do." He scoffed. "Alright, let's all dock at the depot and stock up!"

"Yes sir!"

'Once we resupply, it's going to be a matter of plowing our way into that harbor, meeting up with the other Kansen, and then initiating the final counterattack. It be great if I could see every last one of these Sirens sink, but I can't really count that as a priority right now can I?' He unwillingly rationalized as he looked on into the distance where NY Harbor was.

"Mind if I ask you something, Commander?" South Dakota asked, unknowingly interrupting his train of thought.

"What's up?"

"Be honest. Do you really think we have a chance of winning here?" She asked, her stoic eyes unwavering as she stared at him.

'Is this her way of testing me?'

"I can't make any promises on an assured victory, but I will say this," He paused to look straight into her eyes, "I refuse to let what happened five years ago happen here and I _will_ do whatever it takes to see that through."

Surprised at both his bold declaration and at the intensity in his crystal-like eyes, the stoic beauty could feel her cheeks warming up for some unknown reason to her.

"Understood, allow me to once again offer you my shields, Commander. Sorry for testing you."

"It's fine, I'd feel uncomfortable risking my life under the command of someone I just met too."

"We're weapons though, Commander."

Instead of outright denying her statement, he calmly sighed before replying. "South Dakota, since it'll take a few more minutes to get to the depot, can I ask you a series of 'yes' or 'no' questions?"

Albeit a bit confused, she nodded her head in agreement.

"Are you able to think?"

"W-what?" She asked with a puzzled look.

"Are you able to think?" He casually repeated.

"Y-yes."

"Have you ever felt any emotions like happiness, anger, or sadness?"

"Yes."

"What about feeling things like hunger, tiredness, boredom, and excitement?"

"Yes."

"Do you have things you like and things you hate?"

"Yes."

"Do you know anyone you can consider as your family, friends, rivals, or enemies?"

"Yes."

"Second to last question. Place your hand where your heart is. Tell me, can you feel it beating?"

Following his request, she put a hand over her chest and did indeed felt her heartbeat, although a little faster than she was used to.

"Yes."

"Alright last question. Tell me, what kind of other 'weapon' do you know that is able to think, feel emotions, have things they like and hate, and are able to form social connections all at once?"

Unable to answer or maintain eye contact with his piercing gaze, she felt herself looking away, only to be shocked when she felt a warm hand on her cheek, gently trying to bring her face back to where his was.

"Because if you ask me, all the 'yes' answers you gave me prove that you are a living and breathing human being, and a very pretty one at that." He said, surprising even himself once he realized what he had just said to someone he just met.

[Affinity up!]

Wide-eyed and more embarrassed than she ever felt before, she broke away from his gaze and quickly turned her back to him. With both her hands cupping her face, she could feel her cheeks heating up and her words failing her as she was seemingly unable to speak.

'I really want to blame my lack of sleep and the Green Bull, but then that would just lead to a bunch of other misunderstandings.' He blushed.

"_U-um Commander, y-you forgot to turn off your radio."_ Helena said.

"_Wow, what a bold guy."_ He heard an unfamiliar voice whistle.

"_What I'd give to see your face right now South Dakota."_ Another unknown voice teased.

'Alright, it's decided. This is all Akashi's fault.' He cringed at being overheard while a certain green haired cat could be seen sneezing loudly as she was for some reason painting purple boxes gold.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Helena. Are you all at the depot yet?" He admittedly tried his best. Hearing snickers and suppressed laughter, he felt his cheeks flare up.

"_Y-yeah we're all here just waiting for you two lov-you two." _Hornet stuttered, desperately trying to hold back her laughter.

"A-alright, we'll be there soon, go ahead and start resupplying without us." He said before making sure to end his radio call this time. "S-sorry about that South Dakota."

"….I-it's fine. Y-you've given me a lot to think about, i-in a good way, and so umm…thank you?" She surprisingly stuttered, her cheeks still bright red and unable to look at him properly.

'Please let this day be over soon.' He begged.

Barely five minutes passed before he and South Dakota found themselves with everyone else in the gigantic island depot. Walking though the ten-inch steel doors, he was greeted with what seemed to be endless rows of military equipment, gear, and even vehicles ranging from armored trucks to supply ships.

'I'd love to explore, but there's literally no time to lose.' He sighed as he finally got himself back into serious mode.

"Go ahead and resupply, South Dakota. Meet me back here once you're done."

"Understood. I'll be quick." She replied before speed walking away.

Looking around, he noticed some holes and collapsed parts of the building scattered around the floor. 'Place held up pretty well even after all those bombs Enterprise, Hornet, and Saratoga dropped.' He remarked before losing himself deeper in thought.

'If they really are using those droid 'pawns', then we might have an issue. They aren't super powered mechs or anything, but since they're fairly easy for them to make, their numbers will definitely be a problem. Who knows how many there are? One well aimed barrage should wipe them out no sweat, but if they get into the city…' He worried. 'Let's just hope the Eagles are able to keep them out of the city until we get there.'

"Commander." He felt a hand tap him on the shoulder. Turning around, he noticed that it was Enterprise with everyone else behind her. "These are our friends based here." She waved behind her to the unfamiliar group of faces.

"I'm glad we can finally introduce ourselves. Thanks for coming and helping us out when you did." He started.

"So, you're the rumored cool-eyed, master chef Commander, huh?" The tall one with short silver hair asked.

"Cool-eyed, master chef?" He tilted his head in confusion.

"It's not like I lied, right guys?" Saratoga smugly replied from his side as everyone he already knew nodded their heads in agreement.

A bit embarrassed at being the center of attention, he decided to quickly move on. "Y-yeah I guess that's me?"

"I'm Washington. Feel free to let me work out some more." She snickered.

"You really haven't fixed that crooked smile of yours yet." The tall blonde sighed.

"I-t's not my fault Sis! You know that!" Washington complained.

"Sis?" He asked.

"Yes." The blonde beauty smiled as she introduced herself. "North Carolina here, awaiting your dispatch. Although I may seem to have a bland personality compared to my sisters. But as the saying goes, no personality is still a personality, hehe. Anyways, awaiting your orders, sir."

Going with the flow the remaining five began introducing themselves as well.

"Hehehe, I am Long Island. Eagle Union's first escort carrier! Hello, Commander~."

"I'm Alabama, fourth ship of the South Dakota-class, also known as Lucky A... What else? Uhh..."

"Don't hurt yourself thinking too hard Alabama." Washington mocked before getting her ear pulled by North Carolina. "Ow, ow! Sorry! Let go Sis!"

Continuing on, the three shorter cruisers began introducing themselves.

"Cleveland-class light cruiser number 2, Columbia! That's me~!"

"Hello! I'm Denver, 4th Cleveland-class cruiser and Knight of the sea!"

"You're a commander? You don't... look reliable. But my big sis works for you... I've no choice, then. Montpelier, reporting for duty. I don't really care whether you give me orders or not."

"Oi! Monty!" Cleveland yelled.

Putting the pieces together, he couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

"Heh, it's fine Cleve." He replied, seemingly unfazed by the cruiser's cold words. "Hope I can prove myself worthy of commanding your awesome big sis, Montpelier."

"Yep, that's Montpelier for ya. Superprotective and loving of Big Sis Cleve to the point of it being kinda scary." Columbia teased as she wrapped an arm around Montpelier's shoulders.

"Hmph." She coldly crossed her arms and looked away.

'She's so a tsundere.' He surmised.

"Commander, my planes are spotting a lot of Sirens in the distance." Enterprise reported.

"SG's also picking up other signals near them as well. I think they might be the others!" Helena added.

"Alright back to business." He took a deep breath before returning into serious Commander mode.

"As of this moment I shall be taking full command of you eight as well." He stated, the aforementioned Kansen nodded in agreement.

"Enterprise, how long do you think we have until they get here?"

"Half-hour tops, Commander."

"And Helena, can you pinpoint where exactly the friendly signals you're picking are?"

"Yes, I can't tell exactly who they all are since there's still jamming waves everywhere, but I'm positive that they're our friends. As for where they are, they're clustered together a little further than halfway between here and NY Harbor itself."

"Alright that works out then since we won't have to deviate from our advance straight into the harbor. That said, they're probably like you girls and are running low on supplies, so let's help them out by bringing them some. Everyone! Grab as many Kansen related supplies as you can in the next twenty minutes and load them onto the bulkiest looking supply ship you can find in here!"

"Yes sir!"

As he and the Kansen ran around at top speed, they managed to find a large, heavily armored naval supply ship and hastily loaded as many supplies as they could on board before quickly departing for the harbor.

Thirty minutes passed in a blink of an eye as the Kansen were now at sea once more, this time fully loaded and healed thanks to Vestal's quick work.

As they neared the outer edge of the harbor, Shikikan gave his orders.

"Alright Long Island, Vestal, Eldridge, I want you three to stay back as our rearguard to watch our backs and safeguard the supply ship."

"Stay safe everyone!" Vestal warned.

"As for everyone else, I'm going to split you into three groups. First will be Washington, Alabama, Hornet, Laffey, and Phoenix. I want you five to act as our vanguard fleet and to sink as many ships in front of you as you can as you plow your way through into the harbor. Washington, I want you acting as flagship.

"Now we're talking!" Washington grinned while pounding a fist into her open palm.

The second group will be Enterprise, North Carolina, Helena, Cleveland, and Montpelier. Your job will be to clear up any ships that the vanguard fleet missed or didn't fully sink and to watch over flanks. Enterprise, you're in charge.

"I won't let you down, Commander." Enterprise nodded.

And for the third fleet, South Dakota, Saratoga, Columbia, Denver, and San Diego, you'll all be acting on standby between the supply ship and my ship. I'll be moving you around from the rear guard all the way to the vanguard, so be ready to move fast. South Dakota, I'll be in your care."

"Leave it to me, Commander." South Dakota declared.

"Alright, now, take back the harbor and show them what happens when they mess with the Eagle Union!"

"For Freedom!" Everyone roared as they charged through the ensuing fire and flames that will illuminate the dark night sky for hours on end and forever brand this battle into the pages of history as one to remember.

* * *

**And done with part 1 of this arc! **

**As for why it took me so long with this chapter, I've recently begun graduate school so all of my free time no longer exists, but I will do what I can whenever I can scrounge up some free time to keep writing because I really do enjoy writing this and seeing all of the support for this fic.**

**I'm also thinking of keeping an update log under u/Lord_Azian** **on Reddit so that I can post updates as to where I am with the next chapters every so often. Let me know if this interests you in the comments!**

**Also for this chapter, would you say it needs to be changed to an 'M' rating? Let me know! **

**Once again, thank you so, so much for your continued support for this fanfic and patience with me! I'll see you all in Chapter 15: Dawn Will Come Again.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Dawn Will Come Again**

* * *

"**A scar indicates that something is missing. You lost something important, and there's a hole in your heart. Having that empty hole can lead to anger, hate, despair, or... it can make you reach for the sky." – Fuuko Kurosaki, Accel World**

* * *

[Back at the Azur Lane base]

"NYA! Please call off your planes Akagi NYAAAAA!" A certain green haired cat yelled as she was currently being pursued by a swarm of fighters.

"To think you would let Shikikan-sama go into the frontlines and not even bother to tell his future wife…perhaps it's time to teach you that not everyone has nine lives like you do AHAHA!" An enraged Akagi on literal fire laughed as she chased after the terrified Akashi.

Watching from the sidelines stood a rather unique group of Kansen.

"Don't just stand there Nui Nui! Help me nya!" Akashi begged her fellow merchant friend.

"You reap what you sow Akashi." Shiranui waved her off, not willing to stand up against the yandere fox.

"NYAAA! _Hontōni gomen'nasai_ Akagi nya! I shouldn't have tried to make a quick buck and should've told yo- NYA!" Akashi shrieked as she dove out of the fighters' line of fire. "Someone help me NYA!"

"I warned you~" Shoukaku sung, seemingly enjoying the view.

"Future wife huh?" Eugen smirked, mischief clear in her eyes and tone.

"What a mess." Belfast commented as she looked at the burning trees, the destroyed grounds, and the collapsed buildings.

"I certainly hope you aren't expecting the Royal Maids to clean up this mess." Sheffield deadpanned.

"Nee-sama, you're destroying the base. It would be bad if Shikikan comes back to anymore irreparable damages." Kaga tried to reason.

"…Hmm…fine, but only because your logic makes sense in that I don't want to take away Shikikan-sama's free time to spend with me." Akagi relented as she disengaged her fighters and walked over to stand before the terrified repair ship.

"Now Akashi, as punishment, you are to pay for all the damages and replac-no, improve the aesthetics of this base out of your own pocket. I want Shikikan-sama to better understand the beauty of the Sakura Empire. Understood?"

"PLEASE NO NYA! ANYTHING BUT THA—"

"_**UNDERSTOOD?**_**"**

"H-hai nya."

"Don't forget to add some Royal Navy finesse as well. This base could definitely use a makeover." Wales nonchalantly said.

"Since you're at it, add some Ironblood flair too. A large beer garden should do." Eugen added.

"Add a brewery too. It's a pain to have to wait for shipping for quality _bier _from back home." Hipper chimed in.

"Don't forget about us in the Dragon Empery!" Ning Hai jumped in.

"Might as well add some Eagle Union finesse too then so they don't feel left out. Wouldn't you agree, Akashi?" Illustrious giggled.

As the large group of Kansen surrounded the green haired cat-girl, she had no choice but to give into the pressure, lest she really lose a life this time.

"SHIKIKAN! HURRY AND COME BACK NYA!" Akashi cried out as she saw her personal fortune quickly disappearing.

At first the large group was laughing at Akashi's dismay, but concerned looks quickly began to take over and dampen the mood.

"Big Sis Illustrious, will Big Bro and everyone from the Eagle Union come back soon?"

"I-I don't know, Unicorn." An unsure Illustrious started. She paused to gather her thoughts and calm her nerves before continuing. "But….I'm sure he'll be fine. The Grey Ghost herself and her friends are with him, so I think it's safe to say that he's in good hands."

"She's right Miss Unicorn. Miss Enterprise did not gain her fame from sheer luck. Her strength and fighting abilities are most exceptional. And if I may, the strength of the other Eagle Union ladies are nothing to scoff at either." Belfast chimed in with a seemingly calm smile as she tried to calm everyone's nerves, and, unknown to everyone else, her own as well.

"Is there not a way for us to see what's going on over there?" Zuikaku asked.

"Usually there would be reporters all over the scene reporting in on the current situation, but I'm sure the Eagle Union had them all evacuate to safety by now. The chances of us staying up to date with what's happening over there are slim to none." Wales assumed.

"Nee-sama? Where are you going?" Kaga questioned as she saw Akagi speed walking away from the group.

"To Shikikan-sama's side. I can't and refuse to leave him in anyone else's hands, especially 'hers.'" She spat. However, when she turned back, two figures stepped in and blocked her way.

"Sorry Akagi, but I can't let you go." Takao proclaimed.

"I understand how you feel, Akagi, really….but given the state of the world, we can't be acting on our own accords." Atago added.

"Are you two also trying to get between Shikikan-sama and me?" Akagi spoke darkly as a rather murderous aura began to flow out from her.

Feeling her killing intent, the two heavy cruisers had their hands on their swords, ready to draw at a moment's notice. Before any of them continued though, another voice called out to them.

"I wouldn't recommend that." King George V warned. "Tensions between all of our factions are rather unstable. If you were to go there without advanced permission, you might cause an international disaster."

"She's right, you know?" Eugen said as she casually walked up to the fox carrier. "I won't stop you, but are you sure you want to burden _Herr_ _Kommandant_ with all of the political trouble he's bound to get in because of you?"

Eugen's words seemed to have hit their mark as Akagi went silent and unsummoned her rigging.

"Tsk…" Akagi frowned, a worried look beginning to take over as she thought of Shikikan getting into trouble because of her.

"Can't say I blame you for worrying though, Akagi." Fusou tried to comfort her. "Shikikan is only human after all, so it makes sense for us to worry about him."

"Yeah, and not knowing what's going on over there or being able to help at all is a real drag." Zuikaku sighed.

"You Eagle Union girls better bring Shikikan-sama back in one piece or so help me I'll…" Akagi stopped mid-threat when she heard multiple sets of running footsteps and voices yelling to her and the group.

"Oi! Everyone!" Javelin had yelled with Ayanami, Z23, and Yuubari all running towards the large group of Kansen.

"Javelin? What is it?" Wales asked.

"Huff, huff…" Javelin panted. "Y-Yuubari h-has…"

"Want some water?" Shiranui asked as she handed her and the other three Kansen some bottles of water.

"T-thank you!" Z23 gratefully said.

"So, what is it that has you four all sweaty and out of breath?" Shoukaku stepped up and asked.

"Yuubari thinks she can get us a visual on the current situation in the Eagle Union territory…_des_." Ayanami informed.

"It's true." Yuubari nodded.

A single second of silence passed before….

"EHHH!?" They all yelled.

[Back to NY Harbor]

"Incoming bombers! Help me out Laffey!"

"All systems green!" The bunny girl declared as she helped Hornet deal with the swarm of bombers coming in hot.

"Washington! Alabama! Phoenix! All of these planes are bad news! Force your way through and sink those carriers ASAP!" Shikikan yelled.

"With pleasure!" Washington grinned as she blasted a hole through a large Siren battleship and continued charging through to the carriers in the back with Alabama and Phoenix in tow.

"Saratoga! Enterprise! They'll be in deep, so give them some air support!"

"Roger that Commander!" Saratoga replied as she and Enterprise sent out two squadrons of fighters each.

"Cleveland! Montpelier! Helena! I need you three to deal with the two Strategist classes on our left!"

"On it! Let's go Monty! Helena!" Cleveland said as she led the charge.

"I thought commanding was just about giving orders from a comfy room while sounding like a bigshot?" Montpelier commented.

"That might be true for others, Monty, but Commander's a lot different! Let's get this done quickly Monty! Helena!" Cleveland grinned as they confronted the Siren elites.

"Roger that Big Sis!" Montpelier replied before firing away.

Over by the rear, a large fleet of Siren elites emerged and were closing in fast.

"Commander! We've got more incoming from behind!" Columbia announced.

"Ten Scavenger classes, eight Chaser classes, and five Conductor classes to be exact! Vestal's group looks like they could use some help!" Denver added.

'They must've opened another portal...' Shikikan groaned. 'Everyone in the vanguard and the main fleet are stuck in combat but getting completely surrounded would be the worst scenario for us.'

"Vestal!" He called into his radio. "Have the supply ship move up to where my ship is! Seems like it's safer over here and the last thing we need are the Sirens getting near it!"

"_Roger that Commander!" _Vestal radioed back.

"Columbia! Denver! San Diego! Help out the supply team!"

"Leave it to us Commander!" Columbia cheered as the three rushed back.

"South Dakota, I'm going to need you to drop back and help protect the supply ship as well."

"Are you sure? You'd be left unguarded."

"We are in a circular formation now with me in the center behind everyone so I should be fine…theoretically. But no matter what, we can't let ourselves get surrounded if we want to make it into the harbor in one piece."

"Understood Commander." South Dakota nodded before jumping off his cruiser.

'In danger of being surrounded on all sides, everyone's stuck in combat with the numbers heavily against us, I'm running on practically no sleep and six Green Bulls now, and the harbor is still barely in sight. What else could go wrong?' Shikikan groaned before realizing the death flag he just set up.

And as fate would have it, not long after South Dakota got locked into combat, ten more droids came bursting out of the water and onto his ship, all armed and locked onto him.

"OH, COME ON!" He complained and yelled before taking out his sword and gun, getting ready for a fight himself.

[Back at Azur Lane base]

Currently everyone was at the research lab, or more specifically the area where Yuubari claimed as her own lab and workshop.

"So, what makes you think you can get us eyes on what's happening over in the Eagle Union?" Wales asked.

"I was testing some of my newly built scout planes a while back but one of them seems to have gone off course when I wasn't looking and ended up near the Eagle Union territory. I managed to pinpoint exactly where it is, and it turns out it's not so far off from where _Goshujin_ is headed for! All that's left now is for me to access its control panel and forcibly switch it into manual fly mode." Yuubari informed as she was typing in codes at lightning fast speeds.

"I see, but wouldn't it look bad to send an unauthorized scout plane into another faction's territory?" Sheffield questioned.

"I haven't really thought about that.." Yuubari pondered aloud. "But it should be fine right? The plane's unarmed and is equipped with a camera capable of zooming in over long-distances, so it shouldn't be spotted so easily by anyone ashore."

"I don't know…, tensions between all of the factions are still really high and I'd hate to burden Commander with trivial political matters." Wales worried.

"Well it's not like they don't have their hands full at the moment right? I doubt anyone will have the free time to notice a harmless plane looking in from afar when they're all locked in combat." Hipper argued.

"Agreed. Glad to see your brains aren't as empty as your chest is, my dear _schwester_." Eugen teased.

"HAA!? I'll slap you around, Eugen!" A red faced Hipper roared.

"…Well I guess there will be no harm done so long as we don't get caught. Please continue Yuubari." Wales concluded.

Nodding her head, Yuubari went right back to work for less than another minute before speaking once more.

"Aannddd done! I'm in!" She announced right before the large monitor lit up with the scout plane's camera on screen.

"O-oi…" A wide-eyed Ise commented as she and everyone else on the base looked at the devastation on screen. The battle looked like something out of a war movie, what with hundreds of ships and a whole island ablaze, planes dropping by the dozen, and explosions, smoke, and debris everywhere you looked.

"Why cause so much unnecessary conflict?" illustrious frowned.

"The Sirens are warmongers; they have no care for what's not important to them." Takao spoke.

"Laffey..,Commander,….everyone,…are you okay?" Javelin worried.

The large group crowded around the large monitor as they watched on in silence, searching for him and the Eagle Union girls up until Akashi spoke up.

"Wait nya! Zoom the camera in towards the northeast nya! I think I see someone fighting a bunch of Sirens over there nya!"

"I'll try- eek!" Yuubari replied as she had to maneuver the plane out of incoming cannon fire.

"You can do it Yuubari!" Nagara cheered.

"It's not that easy! Dodging with the plane and maneuvering the camera at the same time is really difficult! Here! Someone take this joystick controller and control the plane, while I focus on moving the camera!"

"Let me do it _des_. This looks like the bullet hell videogame I played before…_des_." Ayanami volunteered as she sat down next to Yuubari and skillfully dodged every incoming fire.

"Nice work Ayanami!" Z23 cheered.

"This is nothing _des_! Is this a good enough distance for you Yuubari?"

"_Hai_! Alright now to just zoom in and…there!" Yuubari said as the camera zoomed in on familiar looking faces all fighting around a familiar cruiser while being surrounded by a large horde of Sirens.

"Oh! It's all the Eagle Union's Kansen and Shikikan!" Hyuuga announced when she saw them all appear on screen.

"Seems like they've gotten themselves surrounded." Scharnhorst said.

"Perhaps, but it looks more like a stalemate battle on all four sides?" Gneisenau observed.

"I think we are close enough where I can use the prototype long distance radio receiver I built into the plane."

"Glad to hear, now, zoom in towards the ship in the center and find Shikikan-sama right this instant, Yuubari." Akagi 'requested'.

"_H-hai._" The rather unnerved cruiser said as she quickly did as the kitsune asked.

"_OH, COME ON!"_ A voice yelled. Looking back at the monitor, the group saw Shikikan fighting against strange looking humanoid robots.

"Hipper, aren't those..?" Spee asked.

"_Ja_, seems like those rumors of the Sirens salvaging sunken ship and plane parts were true."

"You know about these….robots?" Shoukaku asked.

"Hardly, we only just heard yesterday that some mass-produced Siren ships were going around previous battlefields and cleaning up the fallen ships and planes. None of us expected them to be repurposed into those cheap looking piles of junk." Hipper retorted.

"They do look pretty weak, for us Kansen that is. But for humans though…" A surprisingly worried look appeared on Eugen's face as she spoke.

"I-is he going to be okay?" Z23 slightly panicked.

"_Commander! Are you alright!?"_ Enterprise's voice was heard through the monitor.

"_Just some more droids deciding to drop in. I'll be fine, just focus on the Siren elites in front of you! The sooner we get to the harbor, the better!" _Shikikan radioed back.

"Is he really planning on fighting all of them at once?" Z46 asked.

"I don't think he has any other options, Fize…" Spee worried.

"…_Alright. Please be careful!"_ A seemingly reluctant Enterprise replied before going back to bombing the four Strategists in front of her.

As soon as the call ended, the droids had all charged in at once.

"Shikikan-sama!" A pale faced Akagi yelled, knowing very well that she could not be heard, helpless as she and everyone else could only look on in horror.

However, what happened next was something none of them expected at all.

Instead of running away, Shikikan had blasted forth with his rocket shoes towards the two closest incoming droids. Quickly spinning around, he slashed both their heads clean off before following up with his gun and firing three times, each bullet hitting three other droids' singular eye dead on. It was then that two more droids charged at him from behind.

Rolling forward he dodged the two blades aimed for his neck, before putting up his sword and blocking the other two blades coming down on him right after. The two droids then rushed him with a flurry of wild swings, but unfortunately for them, Shikikan managed to swiftly dodge and block long enough to close the gap and fire his gun point blank at the one towards his right. Thrusting both its blades forward, the droid on the left tried to impale Shikikan, but failed as he quickly dove out of the way behind it and backstabbed the back of its exposed head.

With three left, Shikikan went to the offensive and boldly charged at them.

Watching him fight and dispose the rest of them, the group couldn't help but keep watching in shock and awe.

"Ho? Not bad. I didn't expect him to be much of a fighter." Kaga grinned.

"Neither did I. Here I was thinking that sword in his office was just for show." Wales added.

"Oh! Big sis look! Commander knows how to use to the dadao!" Ping Hai pointed excitedly as the two Dragon Empery girls quickly recognized the unique weapon.

"This'll make a great scoop! I can see it now! Lone Shikikan wins a 1 vs 10 fight!" A starry-eyed Aoba furiously scribbled into her notepad. "Please send me the recordings of this later, Yuubari!"

"Go Commander go!" Javelin cheered.

"Uhm, you alright there Akagi-senpai?" Zuikaku sweat-dropped as she noticed a rather dangerous look on Akagi's face.

"Haaa...Shikikan-samaaa, that expression of yours…I could just stare at you forever…ahaha!" She laughed with her hands on her face in a classic ecstatic yandere pose, refusing to blink and miss a single moment of seeing Shikikan's serious face.

All silently agreeing to leave Akagi to her own accords, the large group continued watching Shikikan and the Eagle Union girls fight on.

[Back to NY Harbor]

'What was that chill I just felt?' Shikikan questioned after he finished kicking the last dead droid off the stern of his ship.

"Good work Commander." South Dakota said as she jumped back aboard.

"Heh, thanks, but these droids are nothing compared to the Siren elites I'm leaving to you girls. How is it back there? Are you all alright?"

"I took a few hits, but I'm pretty confident in my pain tolerance. Plus, Vestal was with us, so we took care of the lot of them back there and are all more than ready to keep going at it."

"She really is a miracle worker." He thought aloud about the hard-working repair ship.

"Hehe, thanks for the compliment Commander, but please don't get too reckless just because I'm here." Vestal giggled as she appeared with the supply ship and the rest of the rear guard in tow. "Speaking of which, do you have any injuries from fighting those… robot things?"

"No, none really."

"Hmm.." Vestal hummed as she walked right into Shikikan's personal space and gave him a quick once over, professionally, yet also rather boldly, patting him down to see if he felt any pain anywhere. "Doesn't seem like anywhere hurts, but please do try to be careful. You aren't built like a Kansen, Commander."

"Will do Vestal. Thanks for caring." He gratefully thanked her before focusing his attention back on the battlefield.

"Seems like Washington's and Enterprise's groups are just about finished. Vestal, could I ask you to head up and see if you need to do some damage control?"

"Sure thing, Commander." She nodded before quickly skating on ahead.

"That sure is a strange weapon you got there, Commander." South Dakota pointed out as she stared at the dadao in his hands.

"You think so?" He gazed at the sword. "I bought it from Aka-a Kansen merchant back on base on a whim. I'm not sure how to explain it, but it just feels right in my hands."

"Maybe it's because you trained with a similar weapon when you were younger?" South Dakota guessed.

"Couldn't tell you. Long story short, I have no memories of anything before getting captured by the Sirens." He replied, albeit with a hateful vibe in his tone. "But never mind that, we've still got work to do."

Deciding not to pry, she agreed on focusing back on sinking all of the Sirens still swarming around NY Harbor.

As the two walked towards the bow of Shikikan's ship, Shikikan noticed that everyone in the vanguard and main fleet were cleaning up the last of the mass-produced ships blocking their way to the harbor.

"That should be the last of them here." North Carolina assumed as she scoured the battlefield.

"My planes aren't picking up anything, so yeah, we should be all set here." Enterprise added.

"…"

"What's up Monty?" Cleveland asked, noticing her little sister's intense gaze.

"Oh, sorry, Sis. I was just wondering, but haven't you gotten a lot stronger?"

"Hmm? You think so?"

"Yeah, you've always been the strongest knight of the sea to me, but you've gotten even stronger, faster, and better with your rigging. Have you been training or fighting a lot since we last met?"

"Now that you mention it, you four especially seem a lot stronger since we last met too." North Carolina pointed out as she looked at Enterprise, Hornet, Helena, and Laffey.

"Guess the joint training exercises and battle simulations Commander's been having us do is paying off, huh Sis?" Hornet grinned as she recalled her planes.

"Heh yeah, that and all the battles we've had since meeting the Commander." Enterprise nodded.

"So, you've all been doing a bunch of hardcore training and getting to fight all the time?" Alabama asked.

"Man, why couldn't I have gone there too?" Washington grumbled.

"Maybe we can ask for a transfer, but right now it seems Commander's bringing up the rear and coming up to us." North Carolina replied as she noticed him and South Dakota appear on the bow of his ship.

"Alright, time's not on our side so we need to get a move on. You girls alright to keep on advancing?" Shikikan asked.

"I've barely broken a sweat so let me at 'em Commander!" Phoenix grinned as everyone else nodded in agreement.

"I've checked in on everyone and can confirm no one is severely injured, Commander." Vestal added.

"Glad to hear! We're about halfway there, so stay sharp. The closer we get to the harbor, the more enemies they'll be, so whatever you do, don't let your guard down! Let's go!"

"Yes sir!" Everyone cheered as Shikikan's combined Eagle Union fleet charged forth towards the harbor.

Barely five minutes of cruising passed before Shikikan heard yelling and the sounds of incoming planes.

"I can see the port!" Cleveland exclaimed.

'If the port's in sight then we should be able to meet up with the other Eagle Union Kansen fighting there soon.' Shikikan thought before more yelling caught his attention.

"Incoming Siren elites and planes from the northeast and southeast!" Helena said. "There's too many for me to get a good estimate Commander!"

'Nowhere to go but forward then.' Shikikan took a deep breath before giving his orders. "Alright from here on out is going to be a nonstop rush for the finish line! Don't let up for a single second! All members of vanguard and main fleets: Sink them all and get us into that harbor!"

"I'm liking your style, Commander! Vanguard fleet, on me!" Washington yelled with an excited grin plastered on her face as everyone started blasting away.

"Rearguard fleet, do whatever you can to keep our supply ship and our rear safe. I'm going to have it advance alongside me as Washington's and Enterprise's fleets clear us a way in."

"Leave it to me Commander!" Saratoga proudly proclaimed as the rearguard minus South Dakota surrounded the supply ship.

"Stay sharp South Dakota. I'm willing to bet the Sirens are going to make their next move very soon."

"Understood, but what ma—" She started before being interrupted by a painstakingly familiar voice to Shikikan.

"Hmm, you're about four minutes and twenty seconds earlier than expected. A rather large outlier for this data set. Was there perhaps an error in the calculations somewhere?" A familiar voice spoke.

"Call it a hunch." Shikikan sighed as he rubbed his temple. In front of him and the vanguard fleet once more stood Tester, backed up by countless Siren elites behind her.

"Aww, what's the matter? Not happy to see little old me again?" She grinned.

"I'd rather watch paint dry for hours than have to see your creepy face for another second to be honest." He spat.

"Such a crass mouth. What would Empress think if she heard you act so disobediently?"

Hearing the last name he ever wanted to hear again, Shikikan felt his exhaustion from lack of any rest fade away as annoyance, rage, and hatred welled up inside him.

"Awww, did I strike a chord?" She mocked.

"Not at all. I was just thinking that if it were me, I'd probably blame the useless idiot in front of me for failing to do something as simple as watching over someone who was half-dead, tied up, and locked up in a cell." Shikikan spat, venom seeping from his voice.

"Are you forgetting that Purifier was the one on guard duty, Anomaly? Or did I cause more severe damage to your head than I thought?" Tester growled, her frown quickly replacing her smug grin in a fraction of a second.

"Perhaps, but aren't _you_ forgetting that _you_ were the one in charge of shackling me back up every day? You didn't even notice that the shackles were ever so slowly falling apart even though you touched them every day for years. And you call yourself a researcher?" He scoffed. "Didn't know you Sirens could tell such high-quality jokes."

"**..What was that?"** A now rather enraged Tester challenged.

"Awww, did I strike a chord?" Shikikan egged her on, using her own words against her.

"Pft-! Ahaha!" Washington laughed as she couldn't hold herself back anymore.

"I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting you to have such colorful language, Commander." North Carolina sweat dropped.

"You get used to it." Hornet dead panned.

"I was told to bring you back in one piece, but I'm sure Observer Zero wouldn't mind putting you back together once I'm done with you." Tester growled as she snapped her fingers.

As soon as she did so, every Siren elite behind her charged forth and opened fire on the Eagle Union and Shikikan.

"Evasive maneuvers! Now!" Shikikan yelled.

"What about the supply ship Commander!?" Saratoga yelled as multiple incoming barrages were on track of blowing it up.

"F-" He started.

"Leave it to me Shikikan!" South Dakota declared as she jumped up high and raised her shields, taking the full brunt of the cannon fire rain meant for the supply ship.

"Urgh..!" She grunted as the heavy barrages continuously pounded into her shields.

"That's overdoing it!" Shikikan yelled.

"No time to worry about others, Anomaly!" Tester taunted as more droids came flying out of the waters and onto his ship.

"Tsk…" Shikikan growled as he was forcibly locked into combat with a dozen droids, with more and more emerging nonstop out of the water.

'Oh great, not just blades, but now they come with spears, axes, maces, hammers, and chains…..' He groaned as he dodged two droids lunging at him with spears.

"How about some testing, Anomaly? How many can you defeat before you drop dead on your feet this time?" Tester grinned sadistically.

"Commander!" South Dakota yelled but was stopped in her tracks when she heard and saw more volleys coming in hot. "Damn it! Columbia! Denver! Leave defending the supplies to me! Hurry and help Commander!"

"You got it! Let's go Denver!" Columbia raced off.

Nodding her head, she sprinted for Shikikan's ship. "Hang in there Commander!"

"Stay out of this. You're not needed for this experiment." Tester snapped her fingers right before four Chasers dropped in front of them, blocking their way to Shikikan.

"…Eldridge...will help too…!" The destroyer declared as she blasted the four Chasers with her full powered electric barrage.

"Thanks Eldridge!" Columbia cheered.

"I'm here too!" Saratoga announced as she launched multiple bombers at the Chasers and finished them off. "Hurry over to Commander and give him a hand! I'll give you some cover fire!"

"Roger that Sara! Knights of the sea, moving out!" Denver cheered as the two kept going.

"Oh no you don't." Tester was about to snap her fingers once more but was caught off guard when she felt multiple barrages slam into her rigging causing an explosion that forced Tester to stumble forward.

"Who dares…!" Tester growled as she spun around to face whoever damaged her rigging.

"Hmm? Well aren't you a tough one? Guess I'll have more fun if I fight you." Alabama declared, a glowing red glare in her excited eyes as she licked her lips.

"Hhmph, don't get ahead of yourself just because you managed to land a single hit." Tester scoffed as she fired multiple lasers at the battleship.

With jaw-dropping speed and dexterity, Alabama dashed on up and out of the lines of fire, right before returning the favor with a barrage of her own.

"Well aren't you light on your feet? Too bad you don't stand a chance." Tester mocked as she easily sidestepped the barrage.

"I could say the same for you, Siren!"

"Wha-!?" Tester exclaimed right before a heavy fist crashed right into her jaw and sent her spiraling downwards into the water.

"….I already called dibs on this one, Washington." Alabama frowned.

"You sure? Cause it seemed to me you were struggling for a second there." Washington smirked.

"As if. I was just getting warmed up." She replied as she rested the back end of her scythe on her neck.

"Congratulations, you've officially put me in an awful mood, and for that, I'll personally send the both of you into the abyss as piles of burning scrap metal." A very pissed off Tester hissed as she floated back on up.

"How about this Alabama? Whoever lands the finishing blow, pays for dinner for a week."

"Sounds good to me. I'm always down for free food."

"You're so on!" Washington grinned as she and Alabama charged forth at Tester.

Meanwhile elsewhere…

"Crap! Commander's in trouble!" Hornet yelled.

"Columbia and Montpelier are heading there now, but there's a lot of Siren elites blocking their path!" Helena added.

"I want to head back and help Commander, but things over here aren't looking so good either..." Cleveland gritted her teeth as she kept firing away at the Siren elites.

"Should I head back and help them Big Sis?" Montpelier asked.

"That won't be necessary. We've got our hands full here and we need all of us here to focus on the battle if we want to come out on top." North Carolina reasoned.

"She's right, Saratoga's got them all covered so leave it to her and everyone else back there to deal with the enemies over there while we clean up over here. Right Enty?" Hornet added.

"Yeah. Plus, Commander's not unarmed. He should be fine if it's just those robots, but we should still hurry on back there after we clear out the Sirens here just in case." Enterprise said.

"Agreed. You hear that Washy? Alabama?" North Carolina called out.

"Eat this!" Washington yelled as she blasted away at Tester.

"Seems like she's got the memo…" Cleveland chuckled. "Alright! Let's hurry and get this over with!" She said as she sailed forth and fired away at the horde of Siren elites and mass-produced ships.

"Roger that Sis!" Monty followed in her footsteps.

[Back with Commander]

"Buzz off!" Shikikan yelled as he parried an incoming blade and followed up with a straight stab into the attacking droid's eye.

Seeing more incoming, he fired away with his desert eagle, getting three clean shots into three of them before a chain smacked the gun away and wrapped around his arm.

"Tsk…" He grunted as he tried to tug on the chain to no avail as the droid holding it stood stalwart and held him grounded.

With four droids all rushing him with their spears out, Shikikan had no choice but to blast forward with his rocket shoes, charging right into the one holding the chain and stabbing his sword clean through its head. Following after him, two blade wielding droids descended upon him from above. With no time to lose, he cut off the dead droid's arm and wrapped the remainder of the chain around his right arm. It was then that he blocked one incoming blade with his sword and the other with his chain covered arm.

Wrapping the end of the chains around his fist, he slammed it right into the head of one of the droids and sliced the other's head clean off with his sword.

Barely able to get a breath in, the four previous spearmen droids charged at him once more. Loosening the chains off his arm, he swung it around like a whip, giving it some momentum before spinning around slamming it into one closest towards his right. The force of the chain knocked the droid into the other three and caused them all to collide. Charging forth, he sliced right through all three of them and finished the one he hit with the chain with a downward stab of his sword.

Noticing more coming at him, he was about to ready himself for the umpteenth round of nonstop fighting, but the remaining hordes of droids were caught in multiple explosions as two familiar Kansen appeared behind them.

"Wow, I gotta say Commander, that was pretty awesome." Columbia grinned.

"Yeah! Seeing you fly around and single handedly fight all these robots was like watching a movie in the making!" Denver added.

"Ha…a…glad you…enjoyed it." He panted as he caught his breath.

Tossing the chain around his arm off to the side, he walked over to where his gun fell and started reloading it. "How's South Dakota and the others in the rear guard?"

"She managed to save the ship from that huge volley of cannon fire and told us to help you out while she deals with the Sirens over there." Denver informed.

"Everyone in the rear guard had the supply ship drop back a bit when Tester appeared, but once they clear out the lot of them, they'll have it sail right on up to us." Columbia added.

"Alright." He nodded before a growing smile appeared on his face. "Now that the droids are gone and you two are here now, what say we start our counterattack?"

"Yeah!" They cheered.

[Back on the frontlines]

"Well aren't you a frisky one…ahaha!" Alabama smirked with a wild expression on her face.

"Pesky battleships." Tester scoffed. "No matter, you'll both be drowning into the sea soon enough."

"Bold words. Let's see if you can live up to them." Washington grinned as she cracked her neck and pounded her fists together.

'_Hey Alabama, Washington. Can either of you here me?"_ A voice via radio called out to them both

"Huh? Oh, Commander." Alabama lazily remarked.

"Weren't you busy dealing with a bunch of robot things attacking you?" Washington asked.

"_I was, but I managed to kick them all off and am going to take full command now. You two think you can keep Tester locked down while I have everyone else clean up the rest?" _

"Ha! Who do you think you're talking to?" Washington smirked.

"I can handle her myself if you want Washington somewhere else, Commander." Alabama offered.

"As if I'll let you have all the fun and glory!"

"_Glad to see you two are such good friends. Hold Tester down until the others finish or better yet, blow her up and sink her for me If you can." _

"Roger that!" They both acknowledged his orders before ending the transmission.

"Arrogant fools. It'll take a lot more than mere battleships to sink me." Tester scoffed.

"Let's test that theory then!" Washington roared as she and Alabama went for another round with the Siren, both grinning wildly and releasing very violent auras as they charged head on.

[With Commander]

"Laffey! Phoenix! Keep blasting through towards the three Navigators on the left! Hornet! Give them some air support!"

"On it!"

"Cleveland! Montpelier! Helena! Clear out these Siren planes and head straight for the group of Conductors on the right! North Carolina and Enterprise will give you some cover fire!"

"Roger that!"

'Our frontline should be cleared if we keep this up. South Dakota and Saratoga are holding up the rear, while Washington and Alabama focus on keeping Tester occupied. We're slowly gaining air dominance and slowing down their assault. The supply ship's still safe and we've got ammo to spare. The port's still barely visible through all this smoke and fire, but…..'

Currently, Shikikan's commander mode was set to maximum overdrive as he constantly kept his eyes moving and his mind brainstorming nonstop as he planned his next several moves. Unknown to him, he was silently mouthing his thoughts and didn't notice that Denver and Columbia were giving him quick glances of wonder and awe when they weren't blowing up the occasional horde of droids that emerged out of the waters around the ship.

"Man, I'd feel like my head explode if I had to multitask as hard as Commander is right now." Columbia commented as Denver nodded in agreement.

"Five more Scavenger classes inbound!" Helena reported.

"Enterprise!" Shikikan yelled.

"I'm on it!" Enterprise announced as she launched two squadron of bombers out.

"Commander! I've finished with the radar scan!"

"Perfect! North Carolina, Cleveland, Montpelier! Sink those Conductor classes!"

"Hoorah!" Cleveland yelled as the three of them rained fire into the weakened Conductor classes, blowing them up with their rigging.

"Owari da!" Enterprise yelled as her bombers did their bombing run over the five incoming Chaser classes, exploding them all and sending them straight to the ocean floor.

"You got three Smasher classes incoming from your right, Enterprise!" North Carolina yelled. "I'm on my w-" She stopped mid-sentence when she heard Shikikan yell.

"Close your eyes and cover your ears!" Shikikan yelled as he had his ship fire two volleys of Yuubari's special flashbang rounds.

"What are tho-?" Montpelier tried to ask.

"Oh! Wait those are-!" Cleveland yelled. "Hurry and close your eyes and cover your ears!"

Deciding to just listen to her, Montpelier and everyone else did as they were asked.

Upon impact, the flashbang rounds exploded right in front of the three Smasher classes, immediately blinding and stunning them from the explosion.

"What is that!?" Montpelier yelled.

"Now's your chance! Laffey! Phoenix! Hornet!"

"Condition: green... Let's go."

"Paint the East... in blood...!"

"Let's finish this in a jiffy!"

With relentless firepower and a large squadron of bombers, the three Smashers didn't stand a chance as they were completely engulfed in explosions and turning into literal pieces of who they formally were.

"All three are confirmed down! Commander!" Helena informed.

"Good work everyone. Once we finish off the rest of the elites, clear out their remaining mass-produced ships. After that, hurry over to Washington and Alabama and get rid of Tester please."

"Roger that and thanks for the assist Commander." Enterprise nodded.

"You alright North Carolina?" Hornet asked when she saw the blonde with a perplexed look on her face.

"Y-yeah, I just wasn't expecting Commander to fire a flashbang round." The blonde admitted.

"Maybe I was wrong to judge him..." Montpelier pondered aloud.

"You can apologize to him later. I'll even go with ya, Monty!" Cleveland grinned. "But first things first." She said as she and everyone else gazed over to the remaining enemies standing in their way.

"Seems like Washy and Alabama are having the time of their lives over there, so let's clear out the rift-raft and join their party!" Hornet cheered.

"Yeah!" Everyone chanted.

[Back with Shikikan]

"Eyes up Sandy!" Shikikan yelled as his attention was now towards the rear-guard battles.

"Hu-h? OH!" San Diego looked up and noticed that a swarm of planes were coming in hot. "Leave it to the number 1 idol!" She cheered as she impressively shot down plane after plane all while twirling around with a ditzy smile plastered on her face.

"Hey! If anyone's going to be the top idol, it's me!" Saratoga challenged as she had her planes nosedive and blow up the two Navigator classes that launched the planes Sandy just shot down.

"Eldridge….will try too!" The destroyer joined in as she shot multiple electric barrages and decimated three mass produced carriers.

"Long Island! Vestal! Stick with South Dakota and take down those Oceana classes!" Shikikan called out.

"Roger that Commander!" Vestal replied. "Keep it going South Dakota, I'll do what I can to help!"

"Thanks, Vestal!" The battleship nodded before focused firing and one shotting the group of Oceana classes that were targeting the supply ship.

"Keep it up you three! I can rest easy knowing that you three are guarding the supplies!" Shikikan praised.

"Ehehe…" Long Island giggled. "They don't even know what hit 'em!"

"Keep those planes coming Long Island! The sooner we secure our rear, the better!" Vestal cheered.

"This ghost will do her best!"

'So far so good. Just need to get into that harbor and group with the rest of the Eagle Union girls.' He thought.

"Commander, we've got more of these freaky robots jumping out left and right!" Columbia warned as two dozen droids had burst out of the waters.

"Tsk." Shikikan clicked his tongue as he began to turn around.

However, right as he was about to turn, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blue light that was getting bigger and bigger by the second.

Quickly realizing the impending danger, he yelled at the top of his lungs.

"ABANDON SHIP! NOW!" He yelled as he dove into the water.

"Huh-wha!" Denver yelped as Columbia grabbed her by the arm and jumped overboard as well.

As soon as they all jumped off, the blue light turned out to be a huge laser beam that flew right into his cruiser, completely obliterating it and all the droids on it from where they all once stood.

"COMMANDER!" Everyone yelled.

"Huh!?" Washington questioned as she overheard all the yelling from afar.

"Brave of you to look away from me." Tester taunted as she fired multiple lasers at the unsuspecting battleship.

"Urgh! As if these would hurt me!" Washington roared as she shook off the pain and returned fire, forcing Tester to fly up and out of the way.

"Tsk, slippery little bit-"

"Feel free to take break and figure out what happened back there." Alabama suggested before she rushed at Tester again with her scythe reared back.

"Tsk…fine! SoDak! What's happening back there!? Are you all okay!?" The burned battleship yelled into her radio.

"S_…ye…aaa.."_

"Oi! SODAK!"

"_Stop yelling I heard you the first time! I've just got my hands full back here!"_

"What happened back there!?"

"_Commander's ship got blown up by a huge laser bolt!"_ Long Island jumped in.

"Huh!? Is he okay!?" Washington yelled.

"_We heard him yell abandon ship right before his ship got hit, so stop freaking out. Vestal and the others are over there looking for him, so just focus on your mission!"_ South Dakota yelled before ending the call and dealing with the newly arrived Siren threat.

"Urgh….Damn it!" Washington yelled as she ruffled her own hair. "You'd best be alive Commander!" She added before following after Alabama and Tester.

[Back in the rear guard]

"What just happened over here!?" Saratoga yelled when she spotted Columbia and Denver.

"I..I don't know! One point I was dealing with the robots attacking Commander and next thing I knew, Columbia grabbed me by the arm, jumped off the ship, and now said ship and Commander are gone!" Denver frantically informed.

"Commander and I saw a big blue ball of light coming at us, so he gave us the order to abandon ship. Where is he!?" She said as she was surveying the area and looking for him.

"AHAHAHA! Don't tell me that little beam did you in, lab rat! AHAHAHAHA!" A loud voice mocked from afar.

Turning around, the group spotted a familiar figure floating in the sky.

"Purifier!"

"The one and only!" She laughed maniacally.

"Back already after that beating we gave you?" Hornet mocked as she and everyone besides Alabama and Washington made their way back to the rearguard.

"Oh please, that was me going easy on you." Purifier waved her off. "Don't get cocky because you ganged up on me when I was barely even using half my full power!"

"Laffey, Eldridge, focus on searching for Commander. Everyone else, back me up." Enterprise asked as she stepped up ahead and aimed a light arrow at Purifier.

"Don't even bother! For all you know, he's six feet into his grave at the bottom of the sea where he belongs ahaha! Don't worry though, I'll have some underlings scour the ocean floor for him before dragging him back up and into his cell. That way, we can continue having a grand old time with our favorite lab rat and show him what real hell looks like AHAHA!" Purifier mocked.

"Why you-!" Hornet started.

"Hmm? What's wrong? Can't face the reality of your situati-"

Before she could finish, she spotted something flying right at her from the corner of her eye, easily dodging it and seeing it explode a distance away.

"Would it kill you to shut up for like….five seconds?"

"Commander!" Everyone yelled, feeling relieved when they saw him standing on the supply ship, completely soaked but also with a reloaded RPG launcher in his hands.

"Aww, what's the matter? Not happy to see your bestie again so soon? Ahaha!" Purifier laughed.

"Two things. One, I hate you, and two, how long will it take for you to realize that no one likes you?" He scowled.

"You really don't know to treat a lady, huh?" Purifier said as her smile instantly flipped 180 degrees.

"No, I do, I just think you're closer to those useless droids you keep sending after me rather than an actual lady."

"Pft!" Multiple snickers from the Eagle Union girls were heard after hearing this.

"Alright that's it! I'm killing the lot of you!" An enraged Purifier yelled as she was about to charge right for him.

"You'll be going nowhere near him, Siren." South Dakota announced as she had quickly closed the distance and fired her cannons point blank, right into Purifier's face and sending her flying a distance away.

"Enterprise! Hornet! Saratoga! Go help South Dakota get rid of Purifier! Everyone else! We're out of time so we're charging right into that harbor and meeting up with everyone else. Let's go!"

"Yes sir!" They all saluted before scattering from their large group.

"Glad to see you guys unharmed as well." He looked over to his ship's Manjuu crewmen shaking the water off themselves. One of them floated on up to him and offered him a towel, of which he gratefully took.

"Think you all can go into the control room and help man the ship?" He asked as he patted himself down.

"_Chirp!_" They tweeted before rushing on in and getting the ship going.

"Commander!" Eldridge and Laffey said excitedly before jumping onto his ship and the both of them giving him a flying tackle hug.

"Hey, you two." He hugged them back.

"Commander are you hurt!?" Vestal asked as she immediately circled and checked him for injuries.

"Just exhausted, soaked, and tired from fighting all those droids and being forced to swim all the way to this ship." He sighed.

"Did you grab that rocket launcher from the supply depot before we left, Commander?" Long Island asked.

"Yeah, I figured if we're bringing supplies, might as well bring some for the Eagle Union soldiers over there too. Unfortunate how I couldn't shut Purifier up myself though."

"Smart thinking, Commander." North Carolina complimented. "But in regard to the plan of charging right on into the harbor, how do you want to go about it?"

"Seeing as how we've got to deal with both Purifier and Tester along with hundreds of remaining enemies, I'd rather not fight a losing war of attrition, let alone resort to having to fight one. Our best bet is to get these supplies off our shoulders, regroup with your Eagle Union allies, and go for the final counterattack, freeing NY Harbor and getting rid of all these Sirens with our combined forces." He reasoned.

"A very well thought out plan." North Carolina hummed. "Perhaps I should work a little bit harder. Please allow me to lead the charge into the harbor, Commander."

"I'm glad you asked because I was just about to ask you to." He nodded. "Alright we're going to spearhead right on in, so brace yourselves everyone. Thanks to the vanguard and main fleets efforts, our path there going to be a lot smoother now that the enemies have thinned out somewhat. That said, stay sharp and keep this supply ship safe at all cost, otherwise, this battle is going to get a lot harder than it already is. Understood?"

"Yeah!" They cheered.

"Alright, let's go! Onwards for the NY Harbor!"

[Back with Alabama and Washington]

"Don't die on me yet!" Alabama yelled as she fired all her cannons at the visibly damaged Tester.

"Tsk, your arrogance will be your downfall, you mere battleship!" Tester grunted as she summoned more shields to block the incoming cannon fire.

"You're one to talk!" Washington yelled as she had jumped high up and launched a deadly right hook right into the shield.

"Try all you want, I'll destroy anything that gets in the way of me pummeling you into the ocean floor! ORA!" She yelled even louder, breaking through the shield and crashing her fist right into Tester's left jaw.

"Argh!" She yelled in pain as she crashed into the ocean. "Damn you!" She snarled as she forced herself back up.

"_Having trouble, I see."_

"Silence Observer, I have no time for your wisecrack." Tester growled into her comms.

"_Well that's a shame, because you see, based on all of those simulations we ran, he should have been in your custody by now and all the Eagle Union girls should be on the brink of death. But now, my precious test subject is getting away, and thus falsifying all of that data."_

"What?" Tester glanced over to see him nowhere in sight.

"Weren't you the one saying how brave it was to look away or something?" Alabama asked before she and Washington blasted her with two full powered barrages.

"Urgh..!" Tester grunted as her rigging was beginning to look worse for wear.

"_You're clearly in no shape to continue this fight. Why don't you head on back before you embarrass yourself any further?"_ Observer mocked.

"SILENCE! You very well know this limiter on me is holding most of real strength back!" Tester yelled.

"_Perhaps, but weren't you bragging about how confident you were in participating in this test at just shy of 45% of your true potential?"_

"…."

'_I thought so. Hurry and capture my precious test subject before I decide to put you through the same exact treatment Empress gave Purifier."_ Observer ordered.

"Tsk…fine."

"Time's up. Feel free to consider this your one and only victory." Tester said before she started to summon a portal. "Can't say the same for your precious Commander though." She grinned before stepping into the portal.

"Oh no you don't!" Washington yelled as she tried to destroy the portal, but to no avail as Tester quickly got away as fast as the portal had appeared. "Damn coward! Alabama let's go!"

"K. Guess I'll let the others know we're on our way too." Alabama replied as she and Washington rushed to where Commander was.

[With South Dakota, Enterprise, Saratoga, and Hornet]

"Don't let her get away!" Saratoga shouted as she and everyone else relentlessly pursued after the fleeing Purifier.

"Sorry, not sorry! But I got orders to bring that lab rat back one way or another, so I'll play with you all laters ahaha!" Purifier laughed as she easily dodged every incoming shot.

"As if I'll let that happen!" Enterprise yelled as she jumped off the plane she was on and fired a light arrow that blew up a huge seawall in front of Purifier.

"Ha too late!" Purifier mocked as a portal opened in said seawall with her dashing right on in. Before the seawall could even collapse, the portal disappeared, and Purifier was nowhere to be found.

"Damn it! She got away." Hornet frowned. "But seems like we've got bigger issues on our hands."

"Have the eagle avoid the trees and come straight to its nest. Understood." Enterprise said into her radio before ending it. "Alright, I've just informed Commander of the current situation and he said that Tester got away too. The group with him is currently spearheading into the harbor so we'll likely run into the both of them there once we meet up with him."

"Then what are we waiting for!? Let's hurry!" Saratoga yelled as they all rushed to Shikikan and their friends' side.

"What did you mean by having the eagle avoid the trees and come straight to its nest, Sis?" Hornet asked.

"It's a long story, so I'll tell you later. We really need to hurry." Enterprise replied.

'Please be safe everyone.' South Dakota worried as she dashed as fast as she could.

[With Shikikan]

'Oh great, they're both coming here. Portal jumping is SO unfair.' He complained after ending his radio call with Enterprise.

"I can see the harbor, Commander!" San Diego yelled.

"Any luck with contacting your allies, Helena?" Shikikan asked.

"Sorry Commander but no, the Sirens have definitely amped up their jamming waves and I can't get through."

'It's one thing after another…' Shikikan sighed.

"We've got company, Commander!" Cleveland yelled as the entire fleet grouped around Shikikan and the supply ship when they spotted two very familiar figures in the near distance.

"Yoo-hoo! Missed us?" Purifier taunted.

"So close and yet so far. How pitiful you couldn't contact the other Eagle Union Kansen through our radio jammers." Tester added.

"Don't you two think you've caused enough problems and headaches for a night?" Shikikan scowled.

"Nope, you all could have better looks of pure despair on your faces and you especially would look better on that experimentation table with those lifeless eyes I've come to love, hate, and want ahaha!" Purifier grinned wildly at Shikikan.

"Agreed. So why don't you act like the useful lab rat you are and quietly surrender? Empress is just…dying….to get her hands on you again." Tester smirked evilly before continuing. "It's quite amusing how you thought you could just rush right into the harbor with those supplies."

"Crap they heard the plan…" Denver sweat dropped.

"AHAHA! Of course, we did! Did you really think we wouldn't be monitoring your air waves?" Purifier laughed. "'Have the eagle avoid the trees and come straight to its nest.' AHAHA! Is that really the best lingo you could've come up with? Way to make it obvious and easy for us to realize that you were trying rush into the harbor, meet up with the Eagle Union Kansen there, and hand over those supplies to them! What an idiot AHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Tsk.." Shikikan clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Don't feel too bad, Anomaly. You might be well above average intelligence, but that's only when referring to humans. You still amount to nothing compared to us." Tester mocked.

"That's right! So be the good little puppy you are and crawl back to your owners AHAHA! Man, I can't wait to torture you all over again!" Purifier laughed psychotically.

"Leave him alone!" Cleveland and Helena yelled loudly as they stepped in front of him, surprising not just themselves with how loud they sounded but their friends as well.

'Big Sis Cleve?' Her sisters thought.

'I don't think I've ever heard Helena yell like that.' North Carolina thought in quiet surprise.

"Well let's see. How about…..NO?" Shikikan glared at the two Sirens.

"Really now? Even though your simpleton plans have been exposed and you have no hope of winning?" Tester grinned sadistically. "Well, since you refuse to accept your fate, I have no other choice but to do… this." She added before snapping her fingers and summoning the last huge horde of Siren elites and hundreds of droids, all hovering around the Shikikan and his fleet.

"This isn't looking good…" Long Island said, as pale as the ghost she persistently claims to be. Seeing the massive disadvantage they were all at, the Kansen braced themselves for the impending final fight, nervous and unsure of how this will all end.

"If you really think numbers are enough to win here, you're dead wrong.."

"A—ah—AHAHA! Have you finally lost your mind? Do you really think just a handful of Kansen can defeat all of us?" Purifier laughed hysterically as she lifted her arms out to the literal hundreds of enemies surrounding them.

"Course I do. I still have powerful Kansen while you're just Sirens with these piles of scrap metal you made from going through people's garbage." He said as he jabbed his finger at the hundreds of droids surrounding him alongside the Siren elites.

'Commander..' The Eagle Union girls thought as they enjoyed his praise and mockery of the Sirens.

"Seems like you've really lost it. Nevertheless, are those going to be your last words before you never see the light of day again, Anomaly?" Tester smirked.

"The only words I'll be saying are the ones commencing today as the day where the world no longer needs to fear you Sirens. Wouldn't you agree…, Enterprise?"

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Commander!" A voice said before multiple explosions were heard from behind his fleet. From the hole in the entrapment Tester summoned appeared none other than Enterprise, Washington, Alabama, Hornet, and Saratoga.

"Yo! Sorry for making you wait, Commander!" Washington grinned as they all skated up to the front of the supply ship, right between him and the two Siren leaders.

"Man, am I glad to see you guys!" Cleveland cheered.

"As if I'd miss the chance to go all out like this!" Washington grinned.

"Commander." Enterprise said as she looked at him, almost as if he she was trying to convey something to him telepathically.

"So, you got some more carriers and battleships, big whoop. You all still don't stand a chance against all of us ahahaha!" Purifier arrogantly remarked.

"Big talk for someone who ran away from said carriers and battleships." Shikikan leered.

"….I am SO gonna enjoy burning, electrocuting, and cutting you open again once I wring out your neck and make it so that I don't have to listen to your smartass remarks ever again!" Purifier roared as she began to charge her main laser cannon.

"Normally I'd order you to stand down, but I too think this lab rat could learn to squeak less." Tester mocked as she about to snap her fingers and give the order to fire alongside Purifier.

'BOOM!'

"WHAT!?" Tester stopped mid-snap as multiple big explosions from behind caught her by surprise.

"WHAT NOW!?" A beyond enraged Purifier yelled as she too lost her concentration due to the nearby explosions.

"Seems like the eagle made its way to its nest after all." Shikikan spoke aloud with a large smirk on his face. "Good work Enterprise."

"Heh, you too Commander."

"HUH!? What the hell are you talking about?" Purifier yelled.

"I honestly can't believe you thought that phrase was referring to us getting into the harbor itself. And you're calling me the simpleton? Good one." He mocked.

"If you know what's good for you, Anomaly, you would best explain yourself this instance." Tester demanded, all previous amusement gone and replaced with sheer rage.

"Why don't you ask the eagles that arrived at their nest?" He pointed behind them at the group of figures shrouded in the smoke caused by the explosions behind them.

"Who the hell are you lot!? Show yourselves!" Purifier demanded.

"I'm just a heavy cruiser passing through." A tomboyish voice casually replied.

"Wait! I know that voice!" Cleveland started. "Baltimore!"

"Yo, long time no see Cleve!" The voice greeted as a lone figure stepped out through the smoke, revealing short brown hair and a very well-toned and endowed figure. On her shoulder was none other than Grim, who quickly fled back to base away from the fight.

"Don't forget about us!" Another voice called out.

"St. Louis!" Helena cried out as she saw another taller bluenette appear.

"Hello, Helena. How have you been?" St. Louis replied. "But it's not just us, you know ~" She added before the rest of the figures appeared out of the smoke.

"Oh! Colorado! Maryland! West Virginia! Glad to see you're all still kicking!" Washington called out.

"It will more than just numbers to take down us three of the Big Seven." The one with long white hair and red eyes replied as she flipped her hair.

"Bout time you all made it here! I was getting really annoyed with just evacuating citizens and being on defense this entire time!" The one with a long red ponytail added.

"So that's the Commander?" The one with long black hair asked from afar. "I wasn't sure what to believe when I saw Enterprise's eagle flying right for us and signaling for us to follow it out here."

"Hhmpf. Took you all long enough to get here." A small girl with long white hair and cat ears added.

"Hehe, glad to see you too Hammann." Enterprise chuckled before looking over to a tall figure with red twin tails. "You as well, Honolulu."

"Yeah…long time no see. Glad to see you made it." She mumbled.

'They all look injured, but they are all still willing to fight with us here...' Shikikan observed Baltimore's group covered in bandages, debris, and wounds.

"Tsk, they don't stop crawling out of their holes." Purifier scoffed before a sickly grin grew on her face. "But this works out since I can just get rid of all of you right here and now!"

"Bold words from someone who's done nothing but get beaten up and run away." Shikikan mocked.

"Pft.." Many of the Eagle Unions held back their laughter.

"Alright, I've had enough lip from you!" Purifier raged as she pointed all her cannons at Shikikan.

"Agreed. It's about time you learn your place, Anomaly." Tester added before snapping her fingers and having the massive horde of droids attack.

"Get behind me, Commander." South Dakota said as she pulled him back, raised her shields, and started shooting down the endless onslaught of droids.

"Thank you." He said before brainstorming a way to come out of this unscathed. 'We need to get these supplies to Baltimore's group somehow without it getting caught in the crossfire or targeted. But how do we do that if they're all after me? Wait….all…after…me? No no no that's beyond crazy….but maybe even crazy enough to work? My fatigue levels from being on overdrive all day now are starting to build up too high…ugh….'

"What's the plan Commander?" Enterprise asked as she and Saratoga skated up to the front of the supply ship.

Taking a deep breath and resolving himself to his 'plan' he replied. "Alright, I've got it." Shikikan said as if he figured something out. "Baltimore's group is looking worse for wear, so we need them to get to this supply ship, reload, and have Vestal do some first aid ASAP."

"I'm guessing you already have a plan to get passed all these enemies?" Saratoga asked as she had her planes shoot down every single droid in their path.

"Yeah, but I'm going to need you to hear me out on this one." He warned before filling them in.

….

"WHAT!?" South Dakota, Enterprise, and Saratoga yelled loudly.

"Are you insane, Commander!? There's no way you'll be able to make it there by yourself!" Saratoga yelled.

"Shh." Shikikan put a finger to his lips. "This plan's all for naught if either of them hears us. Trust me when I say I know this plan sounds insane, but if I'm their main priority, the supply ship will be in danger of sinking if those two decide to have their entire force aim here. With me as bait, I'll be able to at least get all those droids off your hands and buy some time for Baltimore's group to split up and make their way over here." He pointed at the Sirens themselves. "Plus, you'll be able to fight more freely without having to worry about me getting caught in the crossfire since I'll be flying up, around, and out of this battle."

"Can't say I agree with this plan Commander. What if they decide to chase after you themselves?" South Dakota reasoned.

"That's where I'm in all of your care. They'll figure out my plan of making a mad dash for the harbor immediately so use those few seconds to get some good hits in and get their attention."

"Those are some high expectations Commander. FINE I'm in!" Saratoga decided.

"Sara?" Enterprise and South Dakota looked at her in shock.

"Commander's counting on us to be able to follow through with this crazy plan. As someone aiming for the spot of number one idol, I can't let a fan down! Commander! Leave it to me! I'll definitely make this plan a huge success!" Saratoga boldly declared.

"Idol business aside….alright leave it to us then Commander. I promise to not let you down." Enterprise smiled.

"Not you too.." South Dakota groaned.

"Don't get me wrong. I don't like this plan, but sometimes you just need to make a bold move to turn the tides in a fight." She reasoned.

"True but… alright, fine, I give. Let's go with this plan then." The battleship gave in.

"Please be careful Commander." Enterprise requested. "I'll let Helena know and have her inform everyone on an encrypted channel."

"Thanks, you three. I leave this battle in your capable hands." He nodded before activating his rocket shoes and flying right on out.

'Commander?' Laffey questioned as she spotted him flying away.

"He's doing what!?" Helena uncharacteristically yelled out loud before covering her mouth.

"W-what's going on Helena?" A startled Cleveland with her equally surprised sisters in tow asked.

"One sec Cleve." Helena requested as she had a hand on her ear.

"This is so reckless, but if this is what Commander decided..." She sighed. "Yes, I'll let everyone know on an encrypted channel right now." Helena said before ending the transmission with Enterprise and radioing everyone on the secret channel about Shikikan's plan.

"Why didn't he have one of us come with him!? This is way too dangerous for him to act as bait!" Cleveland yelled as soon as she heard the plan.

"It's because Commander's trusting us to get the Siren's attention and not let them pursue him themselves, Cleve." Helena reasoned.

"Yeah, but…!" The tomboy tried to continue to argue but felt a hand on her shoulder.

"He'll be fine Sis." Columbia said. "If it's just those droids, I'm sure he'll manage, especially when he meets up with the Eagle Union soldiers on shore. Take it from someone who saw him fight ten of them and barely breaking a sweat." She winked.

"…..Ugh, Commander, you better be okay until we get there!" Cleveland gave in before focusing back on the next incoming wave of elites heading for them. "Knights of the sea! Move out and take down these Sirens!"

"Hoorah!"

[With Baltimore's group]

"So, he wasn't running away, but is going to act as a decoy for us. Reckless and bold. I like it!" Maryland laughed.

"Is he going to be okay? N-not that I'm worried about a reckless idiot like him or anything…." Hammann muttered.

"Well we can't let his efforts go to waste, now can we?" Baltimore started. "Let's hurry and split up for the supply ship!"

"Yeah!"

[With Tester and Purifier]

"AHAHA! Look at him trying to run away with his tail between his legs!" Purifier laughed.

"…Wait a minute…is he actually trying t-!" Tester started before side stepping an incoming volley.

"Yo, Siren! Hope you didn't expect you were free from me pounding your face in just yet!" Washington smirked as she cracked her knuckles.

"Oh, there's another strong looking one…..works for me." Alabama grinned wildly as she spun her scythe around.

"Tsk….I have no time to play with you two. Begone." Tester scowled as she had the Siren elites near her fire a menacing storm of volleys at the two battleships.

However, just before the two could take evasive and defensive maneuvers, multiple swarms of fighter planes and other volleys of cannon fire came flying in, shooting down and blowing up the Sirens' volleys midair.

"Hope you don't mind us joining in on this!" Hornet grinned as she and everyone else, save for Eldridge, Vestal, and Long Island standing by back at the supply ship and Baltimore's group heading there, arrived to help out the two battleships.

"…..Purifier, go after Anomaly and bring him back here. Do feel free to rough him up a bit." Tester ordered.

"Sounds good to me! I've been wanting to break every one of his bones again! Especially since he thinks he can get away with mocking me!" The psychotic Siren grinned evilly as she was about to rush after Shikikan.

"Oh no you don't!" Cleveland announced as she and the other knights of the sea blocked her path with a volley of their own.

"Annoying little….." Purifier scowled. "Hey Tester! Give me a portal so I can wring that lab rat's neck already!"

"Sorry, but I'm going to need you to stay put right here." North Carolina added as she and South Dakota had skated around to stand on front of where Shikikan flew off towards and fired at the two Sirens leaders.

"…..Change of plans Purifier, we deal with these eager to die Kansen first." Tester frowned before having all the Siren elites engage the Eagle Union girls.

"Brave Eagles, we fight until the end!" Enterprise declared.

"Yeah!" Everyone yelled as they all charged forth as well and began the final clash against the Sirens in this battle.

[Back with Commander]

'I know I came up with this idea but come on!' Shikikan groaned as he was dodging incoming chains and spears being thrown at him as he flew as fast as the rocket shoes would allow. Right behind him were well over a hundred droids locked in on him.

Doing his best to dodge and keep the distance he had between himself and them, he turned around and started firing away at the massive horde on his tail. Managing to get most of his shots to land directly into the droids' weak spots, he kept firing until his clip ran empty before focusing back on getting towards the shore ASAP. As he flew, he took the time to reload his gun as best as he could under the extremely stressful situation.

Continuously repeating this until he was completely out of ammo, Shikikan managed to take down about thirty of them before he noticed that he was in eyesight of the very damaged, but still standing NY Harbor.

'I should definitely be in distance to get through to someone now.' Shikikan assumed as he hurriedly turned on his radio and yelled into it. "This is Azur Lane's Kansen Commander! I'm right outside of the harbor and am going to enter with a horde of droids on my tail! Requesting immediate assistance!"

"…"

'Seriously!?" Shikikan complained as he shifted to the left as a spear came flying in and still managed to graze his right shoulder.

Wincing a bit, he tried to get in touch once again. "I repeat! Requesting immediate assistance! Please come in!"

"…_Commander! This is Rear Admiral Torrez! I'd say I'm glad to hear from you again but what the hell is going on!? I'm seeing someone actually flying and a bunch more of those damn robots right behind him!? Is that you!?" _

"Yes! It's a long story, but mind giving me a hand here!?" Shikikan requested.

"_Already on it! Head straight for the pier and I'll meet you there!" _

"Thank-whoa!" Commander yelled as he managed to duck down and avoid a long chain came flying in from the right. Right as he ducked down, he saw two droids with great swords closing in on him.

Diving right under both their swings, Shikikan took out his sword and swiped the one on his left's head clean off. Following up, he kicked off the one on his right and used it as a springboard as he continued to blast towards the harbor.

'Almost there and…oh there's some people!' Shikikan sighed in mental relief as he spotted a bunch of people in naval uniform at the edge of the pier looking right up at him.

"I have no idea how you're flying but hurry and get behind us!" Torrez yelled as he and his men, all armed with RPGs formed a single firing line and aimed right for the horde behind Shikikan.

"Alright!" Shikikan yelled back as he kept on flying right up to the group before doing an emergency landing and rolling along the area of the pier behind them.

"FIRE!" Torrez yelled as he and his soldiers all launched their rockets and blew up a good portion of the horde of droids.

"Sir! There's still a bunch left!" One of the soldiers yelled.

"Damn it, as if we didn't have our hands full already with the ones inland…" The rear admiral groaned as he bit his thumb.

"Here they come!" Another soldier yelled.

"Don't let anymore of them into the city! Take them down however you can!" Torrez ordered as him and his men switched over to assault rifles and aimed for the incoming onslaught.

"Let 'em have it!" He yelled as they blasted away, however, strangely enough, instead of charging into the group of soldiers, they blew right past them and went for Shikikan who barely had time to catch his breath.

"Oh, screw this!" Shikikan roared in sheer annoyance and anger as he pulled out his dadao and sliced the closest one's arm off, stealing its broadsword and using it to behead said droid. Now dual wielding, Shikikan took a defensive stance before clashing head on with his relentless pursuers.

"Holy shit…." A soldier said as he and his comrades watched on in awe as Shikikan hacked and slashed his way through droid after droid.

"Why are you idiots just standing there!? Help him!" Torrez yelled as he kept firing at the ones not in Shikikan's range. "Get your asses in there If you're out of bullets!"

"Sir yes sir!" The soldiers yelled as they either followed in Torrez footsteps and fired at the one's not near Shikikan or were inspired enough by Shikikan to pull out their knives and charged right on in.

Noticing the additional threats, some of the droids opted to turn their attention towards the soldiers while the rest deal with Shikikan.

[Back at Azur Lane HQ]

"I understand him not wanting the supply ship to get caught in the crossfire before those new groups of Kansen can resupply, but couldn't he have just had one of the Kansen with him already materialize their ships and hop aboard?" Scharnhorst questioned.

"True, but knowing _Herr Kommandant, _he probably didn't want to burden them with having to both protect him and fight all those Sirens." Gneisenau assumed.

"That and the fact that Master took into account how big and easy of a target the materialized ship would be for the Sirens to do a full-frontal assault on." Belfast added.

"We're Kansen though, we should be able to take those kinds of hits." Hipper argued.

"You really haven't realized that _Herr Kommandant_ is just not the type of person to have his subordinates get injured for him, _schwester_?" Eugen countered. "He's just that much of a softy for us."

"Agreed. It's just the type of person Milord is." Illustrious smiled.

"That said, his swordsmanship is impressive yet also rather…peculiar." Takao noted.

"As expected of a master class swordswoman." Atago giggled. "I believe that you two said that weapon seems familiar?" She asked the two Dragon Empery girls.

"_Shì!_ The ringed dadao is a popular weapon used in our country's martial arts!" Ping Hai explained.

"I see…" Takao pondered. 'I wonder if he would be willing to spar with me sometime. It be interesting to fight against a foreign fighting style.' Takao pondered.

"I have an idea of what's going on in your head Takao-chan, but please do remember to hold back and not hurt him too bad. Not that Onee-san would be against nursing him back to full health." Atago giggled.

"N-nonsense! Of course I wouldn't go anywhere near full strength!" Takao blushed.

"How many has that been now Nimi?" Javelin asked.

"I think about 86 droids and counting. But I think he's been pushing far past his limit for awhile now." Z23 worried.

"Can't those Eagle Union soldiers be useful and help out Shikikan-sama better!?" Akagi growled.

"Seems like their close combat skills are pretty subpar at best, especially when compared to Sakura Empire soldiers, let alone Shikikan." Kaga added.

"Assumptions aside…." Wales coughed. "Yuubari, how are the Eagle Union Kansen holding up against Tester and Purifier?"

"Seems like _Goshujin's_ crazy diversion plan worked and that new group of Kansen managed to reach the supply ship and resupply." Yuubari replied as she pulled up another screen.

"Looks like they've grouped up and managed to take down a good portion of the mass-produced ships and Siren elites while Enterprise's group keeps Purifier and Tester at bay." KGV observed.

"Oh man, this is going to make such a great scoop!" Aoba cheered as she furiously scribbled down on her notepad.

"Seems like this battle's conclusion is well underway now." Kaga said.

"_Ee_, but these Eagle Union girls better make sure Shikikan-sama comes back safe and sound or else…" Akagi said with a very unpleasant aura around her as she and everyone on base were unable to do anything else but continue watching Shikikan and the girls fight for their lives.

[Back with the Eagle Union girls]

"Keep her grounded Hornet! Sara!" Enterprise yelled as she had Tester on the ropes.

"Roger that!" The two carriers yelled as they had their planes continuously bombard Tester from all sides.

"Wretched weaklings…!" Tester growled before firing all her laser cannons right at Enterprise.

"Leave this to me!" South Dakota yelled as she had jumped in front of Enterprise and raised her shields, taking every single volley meant for the carrier.

"Ugh…" South Dakota grunted as the laser cannons proved to be much heavier than anything she's faced before.

"Nice work, SoDak!" North Carolina cheered as she had flanked around Tester and fired right at her main battery, causing it to explode on impact.

"Damn you pesky ingrates!" Tester roared as she turned her attention to the blonde and tried to riddle her with cannon fire.

"Owari da!"

Realizing her critical error, Tester was caught right in the center of Enterprise's trump card. With no way to dodge, Tester put up all of her remaining shields in hopes of reducing the incoming lethal damage. Unfortunately for her, the shields broke halfway into the bombardment before she was engulfed by the bombs.

"Now everyone! Fire everything at her!" Enterprise commanded as Hornet, Saratoga, North Carolina, and South Dakota all blasted Tester with a hellish storm of cannon fire and bombs.

"Argh….damages at critical levels….all cannons are destroyed…..unable to summon anymore shields…" Tester calculated as she was seemingly struggling to get back up.

Over to the northwest, an injured looking Purifier was unleashing her main laser cannon to her full extent at Washington and Alabama.

"DIE!" She screamed as she had her laser following after the two battleships.

"That laser's bad news!" Washington grunted as she was on the run.

"Try this!" Alabama grinned as she jumped right over the incoming laser beam and fired all cannons at Purifier's main cannon, causing it to explode and send the Siren leader skating backwards.

"Argh! I just had that fixed you bitch!" Purifier roared.

"And I just had my rigging cleaned so consider this pay back!" Washington retorted as she had used all her strength to close the distance and slam a heavy right jab into Purifier's face.

"A…aha…aAHAHAHA! Alright, fine! I'll do this the old-fashioned way then!" Purifier laughed psychotically as she returned the favor and gave Washington a sharp uppercut. However, instead of knocking her sky high like she expected, Washington simply stood with her knocked back.

"Hey….." Washington started in a very angry tone. "I hope you've said your prayers cuz this is where you DIE!" She announced before quickly bringing her head back up and slamming it right into Purifier's head, forcing the Siren to stumble backwards. Enraged, Washington rushed on in and pummeled Purifier right into the water with a barrage of rage filled punches and kicks before grabbing her by the hair and throwing her high up.

"Eat this!" Washington yelled as she fired with everything she had.

"Let me in on this too!" Alabama jumped in as she too unleashed a devastating barrage at the Siren.

"ARGH!" Purifier yelled in pain as she took both barrages to the face and went crashing into the sea.

Heavily damaged, Purifier's rigging was in complete shambles and she was also having trouble standing up.

"Damn you….if only I wasn't still injured from earlier and had more of my power unlocked…" Purifier grunted.

"Make all the excuses you want Siren, but the fact remains that you've still lost." Baltimore replied as she, Maryland, West Virginia, and Colorado surrounded the Siren.

"Tsk….HEY TESTER! How could you make this big of a miscalculation!" Purifier yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Don't start with me Purifier! This is also your fault for failing to follow my orders!" Tester roared back.

"Enough you two." A familiar voice spoke.

"Watch out!" Cleveland yelled.

Looking up, Baltimore's group saw huge tentacles about to slam right on top of them. Barely managing to dive out of the way, a portal appeared right in front of Purifier.

"Damn it! What now!?" Washington growled as she wiped some blood off her lips.

"Well done warriors of the Eagle Union, you've managed to overcome a 97.8% chance of failure here today." Observer congratulated as she had another tentacle appear around Tester before dragging her downwards into the ocean and retracting right to where Purifier laid.

"You've failed twice now Purifier. Empress will be most displeased."

"Then maybe you all should've unsealed more of my strength! I would've easily killed all of them if you all didn't decide to put limits on me for…!"

"Silence. You were the arrogant fool who was in a hurry to rush out and play." Observer ordered as she jammed a tentacle into Purifier's mouth, effectively silencing her. "And you Tester, to think you would make so many careless errors and waste so many of our resources, how utterly disappointing."

"Tsk…" Tester looked away annoyance and anger.

"No matter, I'll just have to discipline you both to not be so incompetent." Observer sighed. "Looks like I'll have to take matters into my own hands and personally drag my precious test subject back with me." Observer grinned villainously.

"You'll be going nowhere near him!" Enterprise declared as everyone took aim at Observer.

"How scary of you all to point your guns at me." Observer mocked. "But are you sure you want to focus all of your attention on little old me? Because I wonder just how safe your Commander is over there." She gazed over to the harbor.

"It'll take more than just those janky robots to take him down!" Hornet remarked.

"Hehe, maybe so, but what I wonder how long he'll last if I summon a portal over there and have about a hundred more join up with the hundreds already targeting him?" She questioned before snapping her fingers.

"So what'll it be? Waste the precious time you have to head over to the harbor? Or would you like me to sink you all right here and now?"

"Commander!" Laffey said before making a break for the harbor.

"W-wait Laffey!" Cleveland tried to stop her.

"Go with her Cleveland! Knights of the sea, you too!" South Dakota ordered.

"A-alright! Be safe everyone!" She said as she and her sisters chased after the destroyer bent on aiding Shikikan.

"Now then, do you really think we'll just let you go after all of the havoc you caused on our home?" Baltimore smoldered.

"Consider it my wake-up call to the humans. They needed to be reminded that no matter how safe they think they are, we'll always be at least ten steps ahead." Observer waved her off.

"Then consider this my way of telling you what happens when you mess with the Eagle Union!" Washington raged as she fired a courageous shelling barrage at the Siren.

"Not interested." Observer replied as she simply summoned a shield to stop the barrage. Following up, she snapped her fingers once more, opening up a large portal with about fifty Siren elites coming out of it. "Consider this as both my parting and congratulating gift for making it this far, Eagle Union. Enjoy it while you can, because even if you make it out of this alive, your destinies are all already set in stone." She added before stepping through the portal and vanishing as it closed right behind her.

"DAMMIT!" Washington yelled out in anger.

"Calm down Washy, what's done is done. We need to hurry back to the harbor and help out the Commander."

"Helena are you able to get in touch with him?" St. Louis asked her little sister.

Nodding her head 'no', she replied. "They're still jamming the radio waves."

"What's the plan Sis? This is a lot, even for us, and I'm starting to worry about Commander." Hornet asked.

"….We fight until the end and get to Commander as fast as we can."

"Think you can keep going Hammann?" Honolulu asked.

"I'm f-fine…ow.." Hammann winced as she cradled an injured arm.

"Things aren't looking good Enty. We're all exhausted and now we're outnumbered against all these Siren elites." Saratoga worried.

"Seems like we've got no other choice but to fight." West Virginia concluded.

"Fifty or so Sirens against three of the Big Seven huh? Interesting odds." Colorado spoke.

"Doesn't matter how many there are, I'll sink them all!" Maryland proclaimed as she cracked her neck and knuckles.

"I'm sure Commander's met up with the soldiers in the harbor by now, so he should have some backup. That being said, we should still hurry and help." North Carolina reasoned.

Nodding her head, Enterprise came to a decision. "Warrior of the Eagle Union! Engage!"

"Hoorah!" They roared as they all decided to fight against fate and turn the tides.

[With Shikikan]

'H-he's some sort of superhuman monster...' An injured soldier observed Shikikan as he was firing away with his assault rifle.

'Were those rumors of him escaping the Sirens true?' Another soldier thought.

'Man, I'd really hate to have to fight him…' Torrez himself thought as he and his men tried to help by taking down as many droids as they could themselves.

'Haa…..haa…...haa…' Currently Shikikan was huffing and wheezing as he was drenched in sweat, oil, and even some of his own blood from the various wounds he received from the hundred plus droids he's dealt with himself throughout the night.

"Defensive perimeter around the Commander now!" Torrez ordered as a bunch of soldiers rushed to Shikikan's side to give him some time to catch his breath."

"_Sir! We've managed to get one base turret back online!"_ A soldier radioed.

"About time!"

"_Sir!"_ Another soldier yelled. _"We've got about a hundred more coming in hot!" _

"Get that turret firing NOW!" Torrez yelled. As soon as he did so, a nearby turret began firing away at the incoming final horde of droids.

'Just a little further….' Shikikan thought as he tried to reinvigorate his beyond fatigued body to keep on going.

"Behind you Commander!" A solder yelled.

As soon as Commander turned around to block whatever was coming, he didn't expect for an unarmed droid to blow right through the soldiers and literally flying tackle him off his feet. It was then that it grabbed onto him and blasted forth right off the pier and into a nearby brick building wall.

"Urgh!" Shikikan grunted in pain as his body crashed through the wall and rolling along the building floor. With no time to check his wounds and sensing more incoming danger, Shikikan pushed himself off to side and narrowly averted being crushed by the droid's two heavy fists.

"Alright…..now I'm pissed." Shikikan gritted his teeth as he blasted forth with his rocket shoes and with as much force as he could muster, dropkicked the droid. With it now flat on its back, Shikikan jumped up and impaled his sword right into the droid's eye, effectively shutting all of its systems down and killing it.

"Ugh…some of my ribs are definitely broken." Shikikan assumed as he felt it hurt to breath. Getting himself on his feet, he felt the pain in his back surge throughout his body. "You've been through much worse, this is nothing!"

Forcing himself up and out of the building, he was greeted with more incoming droids and soldiers rushing to his aid.

"Alright, I've had enough of you all and this night! I'm ending this now!" Shikikan yelled. Running on nothing but sheer willpower and rage, Shikikan steeled himself for the last dozens of droids coming right for him.

[With the Eagle Union girls]

"There's no end to this!" Long Island cried out as she avoided being blown up by a Smasher's cannon barrage.

"Don't let up! We can't afford to lose here!" Saratoga tried raise morale.

"Do we have any more spare supplies on the supply ship!? I'm running on empty!" Phoenix asked.

"Oh no! The supply ship's completely empty!" Vestal announced.

"Damn it, there's got to be some way out of this!" Enterprise tried to brainstorm, but to her and everyone else's surprises, multiple planes from out of nowhere came flying in from behind and rained hell on all of the Siren elites, blowing them all up in one fell swoop.

"A-all enemies have disappeared from my SG!" Helena confirmed.

"…Enterprise was that you!?" A confused South Dakota asked.

"N-no!" An equally confused Enterprise replied.

"Wait look! Someone with rigging is standing over there!" San Diego pointed to the far east.

Out there stood a figure shrouded in a strange and thick fog. She had shoulder length white hair, dark purple eyes, and a striking resemblance to a certain carrier.

"Wait…is that….Enterprise!?" Saratoga yelled. "But aren't you standing right here!?" She looked back and forth between Enterprise and her look alike.

"Hey! Identify yourself right now!" Washington yelled.

"…"

"Since you gave us a hand, I'll give you another chance. State your name right now before I start blasting!" Washington threatened.

"…I have no name; I am simply just Ash." The figure stated.

"Huh?" Washington questioned.

"Okay then, Ash, what is your business here then?" Enterprise questioned with a light arrow at the ready.

"…..I want to confirm something. What is the name of your Commander?" Ash asked.

Now on high alert, everyone took a defensive stance when the mysterious figure asked about Shikikan.

"That information is top secret, only to be shared with trusted allies. Are you an ally? If so, I'll need you to come with us for confirmation." North Carolina said with an impressive poker face.

"…."

"Shall I take that as a 'no' then?" North Carolina carefully asked, ready to engage the mysterious being at a moment's notice.

"…..This is a very different timeline. All sorts of events that never happened before occurred for the first time and it's all because of this Commander. Who is he? Tell me now." Ash demanded.

"Like North Carolina said, quietly come with us and we'll figure out if your worth trusting." Washington stepped in.

"…No matter. I'll find out myself and see if he's truly the Key." Ash sighed before the fog surrounding here engulfed her completely, vanishing instantly with her in tow.

"She had no signal that entire time...is my SG malfunctioning?" Helena worried.

"Timeline? Key? What was she talking about?" Enterprise questioned aloud.

"W-wait! The radio jammers are gone! I can get through!" Helena shouted as she began listening in. "Eh!?"

"What is it Helena!?" St. Louis asked.

"A very injured looking person has been single-handedly fighting off hordes of those robots! A bunch of soldiers are trying to get to him and help but they're struggling to get past the wall of droids blocking their way!" Helena informed.

"That's definitely Commander! Wait injured!?" Saratoga yelled as she went wide-eyed and pale.

"Enterprise!" Hornet started.

"Everyone! We need to get to the harbor NOW!" Enterprise yelled before they all rushed for the harbor.

'Laffey, Cleve, Columbia, Denver, Monty…please make it in time!' Helena prayed.

[Moments later with Cleveland's group]

Right on the edge of the harbor pier were five familiar figures jumping off the water and onto the pier.

"Commander where are you!?" Cleveland yelled.

Looking around they spotted countless lifeless droids scattered all over the pier before finally spotting a group of injured soldiers patching themselves up in the distance.

"Hey!" Denver called out as the group rushed up to the soldiers. "Have you seen a man in a commander's uniform, black hair, cool purple eyes, and a strange sword with on him?"

"The Azur Lane Kansen Commander right?" One soldier asked.

"Yeah! Where is he!?" All five of them asked simultaneously surprising not only themselves but the soldier and her comrades as well.

"He's further inland." A tired voice said.

"Rear Admiral Torrez! Sir!" Everyone, save for Laffey, saluted.

"At ease." He weakly replied as he was sitting down against a post and bandaging his bloody legs. "I'd show you there, but my legs are failing on me. Go on up ahead. That monster of a man might still be fighting."

"I-I don't think I've ever seen anyone as scary as him before." The soldier added as her comrades nodded in agreement.

"Commander? Scary?" Laffey questioned.

"Y-yeah, b-but not in like a bad way! Just seeing him fight and kill all of those droids was just insane. It almost didn't even seem real."

"Just what kind of Commander have you been working under, Big Sis?" Monty questioned.

"The best!" Cleveland grinned. "Let's hurry! He might still need help!"

Saluting Torrez once more before running on up, they saw a bunch of soldiers in close quarters combat with a bunch of still active droids blocking their way.

"Out of the way!" Cleveland warned as she and her sisters materialized their riggings and easily put the droids out of commission.

"Thank god, you Kansen are here!" A soldier sighed in relief.

"Where is the Commander!?" Laffey ran up to him and asked urgently.

It was then that they heard the sound of steel clashing with steel up ahead.

"Never mind!" Laffey said as she bolted right past the group of soldiers and towards the sound.

"Sorry about that! We're in a hurry!" Columbia apologized as they chased after the destroyer.

Upon reaching a brick building they finally managed to reach their Commander, who was currently down on one knee and surrounded by five droids.

"Get away from him!" Laffey and Cleveland yelled as their group rushed right on up and blew up the remaining droids.

"Commander!" Laffey surprisingly screamed when she saw how he looked.

Covered in oil and debris with his uniform in complete shambles and blood running down from head to toe was Shikikan, his sword broken into pieces and a look of extreme exhaustion and relief on his face when he realized he was now finally in safe hands.

"H-hey….girls…glad to see….you all…" He managed to get out in between his breaths.

"A-are you going to be okay!?" Columbia panicked upon seeing his more than half dead self.

"Now that I'm finally seeing some friendly, familiar faces…haha…yeah.." He weakly joked as he tried to get up before immediately failing and falling face first into the concrete pavement.

"Commander!" Cleveland panicked as she and her group rushed right up to him.

"Medic!" Montpelier yelled.

"Ugh….can't move.." Commander groaned.

"Denver, Columbia, help me flip him over!" Cleveland requested as they carefully laid him on his back, with his head on Cleveland's lap.

"Commander...here" Laffey offered him a bottle of oxy-cola before gently tilting it upwards into his mouth. Closing his eyes, he felt the burn of the carbonated beverage sooth his desert like throat.

"I can't believe you would do something as reckless as this Commander! I know you're the type to not want to burden others but still!" Cleveland began to lay it on him.

"Go easy on him Sis." Columbia chuckled awkwardly.

"Commander?" Denver asked.

"…zzz…"

"Oh. He passed out." Montpelier bluntly said.

"Hey!" A familiar voice revealing herself to be Hornet yelled as she and the rest of the Eagle Union girls finally made it to them.

"Goodness gracious! What happened to you!?" Vestal yelped in horror at seeing him so badly injured and kneeling down to begin her ministrations.

"Vestal is he going to be.." Enterprise started to ask.

"Shh.." Laffey hushed with a finger to her lips.

"He's a sleeping hero." Cleveland grinned as they all quieted down to let Vestal get to work and let Shikikan get the rest he deserved after being awake for over a day and running himself ragged for the majority of it. With the morning sun shining brightly and eliminating the dark night, the world began to learn of the news of the heroes who all bravely stood up to the Sirens and won.

* * *

**And phew! Feels good to finally be back and be able to finally post this after so many delays due to life! **

**Thank you all again so, SO much for your patience with me and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! There were a lot of ways I could've gone with this, but this route was the most fun to write so I ended up going with this one!**

**I also just want to say that I'm forever grateful to any and all comments, and that even though I might not reply, I still do read through all of them!**

**Please remember to favorite and follow this story if you liked it and haven't already, and I'll see y'all next time on AL fanfic chapter 16: Big News! On the Front Pages Around the World! **


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